Amira’s legs felt weak as Bishop announced Jason’s surrender; they’d won two versus three. Her red irises shifted to the cheering white and black Mawile, screaming her victory, jaws wide open, and fists in the air.

We actually won?

Against all odds, their team pulled through, and the sheer overwhelming force Mya exhibited was beyond astonishing, it was impossible. Amira couldn’t believe how swiftly and powerfully the Mawile was able to perform her Moves, nor the speed at which she could gather so much energy. The announcers were blaring what was on everyone’s mind.

It took most of the match for her to transfer the needed amount to Amber for just two Heat Waves, and Hypnosis wasn’t cheap, either. She expected to lose, yet she was the victor.

The numbers were running through her head out of pure confusion while studying the Deceiver Pokémon, and she’d certainly deceived everyone’s expectations in the stadium.

How many Moves was that? Three Sucker Punches, two Psych Ups, Astonish, Growl, Ancient Power, two Seismic Tosses, Swords Dance, and a Thunder Fang, not to mention having two Abilities … some of those are super energy costly Moves for our Pokémon and us, but she just threw them out without…

Amira blinked, mind snapping back to reality as Rhea recalled Mya while still proclaiming her victory, swiftly retreating below.

Returning a smug and primping Amber to her pokéball, Amira pressed her own button to return to the locker room, glancing across the field at Lucian as he completed his end of the bet, and of course, it was in the least degree possible with a cold and calm tone.

“I made fun of the Rockets … it turns out they aren’t so weak.” With that short statement, he disappeared from view.

The shock of the match began to dissipate, lips lifting with the realization that touched her chest.

Yes! Eat that, you snobby…

Her thoughts were disrupted by the control console; the contestants’ personal communication connection opened, elation doubling upon hearing Lucian’s much different tone, and she removed her sunglasses, securing them at her shirt front with a growing smile.

“What?” He snapped, clearly upset, and Rhea’s response only made Amira’s fingers tighten into fists with excitement, suppressing the urge to jump in.

“Sit the Muk down.”

Yes!

Doing her best to compose herself before the platform stopped. Jason managed to get a few words before Rhea terminated the connection.

Wow … who is Rhea? I don’t know how she did it, but she definitely asserted her dominance in the line-up! If Mya and her were that strong from the start, no wonder they were so confident in helping me.

How, though? That Jason boy seems familiar with her … well, a lot of people, actually, which makes sense since the Oak Starter Award is kind of a Master-tier popularity contest.

Stepping out of the middle contestant staging area, Amira found Rhea to her right. She was about to ask the questions swirling around her brain but paused as she stumbled forward, teetering back and forth.

What’s she doing?

“Rhea, what was … Rhea?”

Alarm surged in Amira’s chest as the blonde-haired girl fell to the floor in a heap, long locks fanning out to hide her face, knee-length white and dark blue striped skirt blowing up slightly with her jagged movements, showing her black boogie shorts.

Mallory stepped into the locker room as she was falling. “... Woah, Rhea?”

They both made it two steps before a handsome blonde-haired young man appeared out of thin-air several feet away, emerging from a bright multicolored light, surrounded by soft blue vertical lines that soon cleared up. A beautiful 5”11 Butterfree hovered in the air beside him, showing off its massive wings with a unique wave design.

Amira’s gut tightened; he was obviously a very powerful Trainer with a Pokémon like that, and instantly had the impression that he might even rival her grandfather.

Mallory didn’t hesitate in the least, rushing to Rhea’s side with the man. “She just collapsed!”

The man didn’t look happy, lips tight as he examined her. “... Okay, girls, we’ll be heading to the hospital.”

She didn’t have time to protest or gather her thoughts; her body tingled as the Butterfree began to glow, the four humans following within a second.

Teleport was very well known to be an extremely long charging Move, yet it didn’t take more than two seconds for the Pokémon to identify where the Hospital was and extend that range to everyone present. This man was definitely a Grandmaster.

It felt as if she were falling, but her feet never actually left the ground; the energy itself that infused her body caused the usual unsettling feeling of teleportation. Amira blinked and they were suddenly in a doctor’s office. “Wait…”

She trailed off, stunned mumble drowned out by the man’s questions to Mallory. “How long?”

“Only like … uh, it was just before you teleported in.”

“Hmm…” He reached down, easily lifting Rhea into a princess carry. “There should…”

He was cut off as the door flung open, adding to Amira’s shock; Brock Harrison entered the room, his deep brown eyes sweeping the scene. “... I thought I felt … Keith?” The doctor’s gaze swiftly fell to Rhea, nudging his head for them to follow. “... Tell me what happened.”

Amira hesitantly followed as Mallory and Keith lead the way, and her red eyebrows rose as the Butterfree’s eyes glowed bright purple, creating some kind of visual light wave that made people glance right over them, and anyone in their path was gently pushed aside in a manner that made them believe they’d just lost their balance.

Keith … Keith … is he Rhea’s brother … father? No, isn’t there a Grandmaster named Keith?

The name was familiar, but he probably hadn’t made many big waves in a few years because she couldn’t remember anything about him.

All thoughts vanished with Amira’s dismay as a large group of people teleported around them, and she discovered which family Rhea was connected to.

Active Champion Cynthia materialized from shimmering multicolored light that formed ahead of her with other famous individuals.

A beautiful 8”11 Togekiss hovered overhead, taking up a large portion of the wide and high hospital hallway ceiling, and all of them were instantly brought into Butterfree’s light manipulation. The Togekiss was the one that had mass teleported everyone to their exact location, and was undoubtedly Cynthia’s.

Ahead of Amira walked Hoenn’s legendary Elite 4 members, standing in their position for generations.

Drake moved from Champion to Rank 1 Elite 4 after Steven Stone had managed to beat him. Wallace occasionally filled in when Steven was away, but no one doubted Drake was far stronger than the fashionable Trainer.

Glacia, his wife, had taken the Rank 2 position after one of the previous members retired, filling the seat upon his request; they’d both lived more than a century and were known all around the world.

Beside Keith was another superstar; Christie, Cynthia’s sister, had been at the forefront of groundbreaking research over the past two decades. Matori mentioned the scientist several times throughout the years, and all the pieces were connecting in Amira’s mind.

The last bit of information came with the rising Platinum-tier challenger, Sabin Everhart, who had hidden his information prior to his own Bronze-tier adventure.

Rhea Everhart was her teammate, and the sheer prestige of having such a stacked family lineage would have certainly given Lucian a run for his money.

Her cousin would be Bianca, daughter of Cynthia. A Master-tier Trainer and well-known researcher under Professor Aurea Juniper. She was also married to the former Unova Champion, Hilbert Arrowood.

Rhea’s aunt was the standing Champion of Sinnoh, and not a single person doubted Cynthia’s strength as surpassing Champion-tier; she’d reached Legendary-tier long ago. Her pupil, Dawn, was already Champion-tier after only five years under her.

Between legendary Battle Trainers and researchers, Rhea stood inside a circle that even outshone her own infamous family tree.

Sabin made sure his sister was alright before glancing back at her, trailing behind with the rest of his family. “... Hey, Amira, right?” He asked with a strained smile.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah.” She replied, doing her best not to look nervous. She didn’t know why, but her being here just felt out of place.

“Great job backing up my sister! That was an awesome show.”

“... Thanks,” she mumbled, fingers fumbling with her glasses with her discomfort. She managed to catch herself before removing them from her dress front, trying to suppress her urge to hide behind the lenses.

I just need to be quiet … I mean, they basically kidnapped me! What do I say? Can I just leave? No, but … if I’m suddenly spotted here, and right after just winning a match at the stadium … the News will be all over it, and they clearly want to keep this on the low.

The thought instantly popped into her head, trained by all the years of reporters hounding her family, and a lump dropped down Amira’s throat, glancing up at the fabled Togekiss.

He suddenly returned to his pokéball without Cynthia even activating the device or giving any indication as she talked lowly with her sister. All of Cynthia’s strongest Pokémon were very well known to the public because of her popularity, but seeing such powerful Pokémon in person was something else entirely, and some of the few in the world that might even be able to sweep much of her mother’s team on their own.

Amira named each one in her head, trying to keep her mind busy. Garchomp, Lucario, Milotic, Spiritomb, Togekiss, Glaceon, Roserade, Braviary, Eelektross, and Gastrodon.

She snapped back to the evolving situation as they entered a private area beyond locked doors with a keypad, and Butterfree returned to its pokéball when the doors closed behind them.

Brock had been receiving information from Rhea’s family, and she lagged behind as the doctor told them to wait inside the waiting section. Her father took Rhea to the room before returning shortly after, each standing around in a circle while mumbling to one another.

Amira stood back with Mallory, but unlike her, the purple-haired girl seemed far less uncomfortable in the evolving situation. “Umm … should we be here?” She finally whispered.

“Mmh?” Mallory gave her a questioning glance. “Why not? We’re a part of a team now.”

“Yeah, but … did you know … no, of course, you knew…” Amira mumbled low enough for Mallory to give her a confused look. “No, it’s just … I’m surprised.”

“Ah!” Mallory giggled, folding her arms under her breasts while facing her. “Yeah, Rhea’s family is pretty loaded, huh? Anyways, what did you think about that match? Crazy, right? Apparently, Rhea’s Pokémon are way stronger than they should be.”

“Yeah, well, I could tell you that,” Amira replied, rubbing the back of her left hand while following the man’s exit. He swiftly got into a discussion with the other family members, voices too low for her to hear, but Drake and Glacia didn’t seem happy about whatever Christie was saying.

“Still, pretty epic, though, right?” Mallory mused. “Oh, didn’t you hear? Apparently, it’s not like she’s going to die.”

“No?” Amira asked, feeling a little relieved at the news. She wasn’t all that attached to Rhea; still, she didn’t want the girl to die. “I … wasn’t really listening, to be honest.”

“Hehe, well, with that crazy thing the Butterfree did, I don’t blame you! That’s such an awesome way to use that Move; do you think it was Psychic?”

“Maybe…”

Amira paused as the doors swung open, revealing Professor Oak and his grandson, the Legendary-tier Trainer, Blue. Amira’s lungs dropped into her stomach; Blue was one of the very vocal and influential Trainers that had no love for her grandfather.

“... Yo, Keith, how’s your daughter…” He paused, lime-green irises fixating on her. “What’s the Rocket girl doing here?” He snarled, nose twisting with rage.

Amira winced at this tone, gut tightening as a dreadful wave shook her frame, left hand fixing around her right; it felt like she was being constricted. However, the oppressive sensation lifted in an instant with the responding voice.

“She was…”

“Take a walk, Blue,” Cynthia sharply returned, silver irises gleaming with displeasure.

Amira’s saliva was caught in her throat as the chilling atmosphere deepened; Blue’s wide eyes were still fixed on her, but the frigid gaze of Drake, Glacia, and Cynthia’s shimmering eyes soon drew his attention. Her muscles trembled with sudden danger as Blue’s anger flared; the three opposing legends’ eyes narrowing in response.

“... I’m just asking…”

“I said, take a walk, Blue,” Cynthia repeated. “Amira is on Rhea’s team and has every right to be here. I know your mindstate; you have beef with her grandfather … keep it there.”

She felt trapped between gods as Blue’s fingers began to quiver with growing rage; the silence hung, his intense green eyes moved to her, but Oak was quick to intervene, guiding Blue away with a hand on his back. “Heh, we’ll be back later to see how she’s doing; sorry to intrude.”

Amira could practically hear Blue’s grinding teeth, but he soon relented, shoving open the doors to storm out with Oak giving an apologetic smile.

Keith blew out a long breath. “Aww, Blue…”

“The boy’s got a lot ta learn,” Drake grunted.

Cynthia sighed, lips pursed to the side. “It’s not like I can blame him; still…” Her gaze moved to Amira, still holding her breath while feeling the cold heat pressing against her spine. “Keith, go snatch Lyra … she’s probably on her way here anyway.

“Honestly, you should have sent her a message before kidnapping her daughter,” she groaned with exasperation, brushing back her bangs. “Giovanni’s likely seconds away from deploying every operative he’s got.”

“Yeah, my bad,” Keith forced a chuckle. “I just kind of reacted. Sorry, girls!” He said, giving them an apologetic smile while scratching the back of his neck. “Give me a second.”

This is insane…

His Butterfree exited its ball without warning, teleporting the man away.

Amira felt cold sweat at her armpits; she wasn’t sure if Blue was literally releasing any kind of energy, but she’d only felt a sinister, intimidating aura similar to that when she was eight; it was from her mother when their house in Viridian was attacked.

Mallory seemed just as petrified as she was, taking a shuddering breath before glaring at the closed doors. “... What … was his problem … Muk…” Her purple irises shifted to her with concern. “You good?”

“Y-Yeah,” Amira mumbled, hiding her trembling fingers behind her back.

Cynthia’s heels tapped against the tile floor while moving between Rhea’s parents to join her, sitting on a nearby cushioned bench, crossing her legs; the rest of the family soon followed, giving them pleasant smiles.

“Hello, Amira, Mallory, or would you prefer Lori?” She asked politely.

“Lori’s fine!” She replied, taking a nearby seat with enthusiasm.

“Wonderful. I’ve met your older sister a few times while staying at Caitlin’s villa. Hehe, I hear she can be somewhat of a shut-in when writing.”

Lori rolled her eyes. “You have no idea! She’s so busy with either writing, training, or working around the League. Grimsley always found time to play with me as a girl, though, and he’s always taking me around the region!”

Cynthia’s smile grew forced. “Right, Grimsley did take you girls in. He usually tends to shy away from me, so I don’t see him that often.” The stunning Champion’s attention moved to her. “So, Amira, what would you like to know?”

“... Huh?” The question utterly caught her off-guard. “Wouldn’t … you want to know more about me?” She slowly asked.

“Of course,” Glacia chuckled, taking the seat beside her daughter. “However, it’s rude to put a girl on the spot.”

“Right?” Drake chuckled, patting a nervous Sabin on the back while taking a neighboring seat. “We’ll have plenty of time to get ta know ya, but it’s only fair we answer any questions ye ‘ave!”

Everyone else gathered around her as a nurse came in, stopping in her tracks upon seeing them. Christie swapped directions to speak to her, walking her back to probably sneak a peek at whatever Brock was doing.

However, before Amira could gather her thoughts, Keith returned with her small, thin mother, and upon seeing her, Lyra rushed forward. “Amira! I was so worried…” She cried out.

She let her mother latch around her chest, returning the hug. “... Hey, Mom … yeah, I’m fine.”

Lyra didn’t seem to even hear her while twisting to the side to glare at Keith’s sheepish grin and the rest of Rhea’s family. “You had Silver and me worried sick; all we knew was someone teleported into the locker rooms and snatched our daughter! He’s off searching the surrounding forest, and then when we felt Blue’s…”

“I know, I know,” Keith replied with a soft sigh. “Blue’s taking a walk. Rhea collapsed, and I needed to get her here as soon as possible.”

“Humph…” Her mother’s indignant glare moved between them. “Okay … I’ll call and tell everyone it’s alright.”

Her mother released her, but not before sneaking in a worried peck to her cheek, causing Amira to blush as the situation calmed. Lyra guided her to the small couch across the room, taking out her phone to bridge a call with her father and grandfather. As she relayed the information, Amira’s mind retreated.

Mom could sense Blue’s anger … whatever he was doing, and Cynthia’s response … what did grandpa do to Blue to make him act so crazy?

She snapped out of her reverie as her grandfather’s collected voice spoke her name, and his ordinarily serious expression held a soft smile. “Amira, would you like me to bring your bag over? I can gather Rhea and Mallory’s, as well.”

“Eh,” her mother’s left eye narrowed with a low moan, “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be here at the moment. You shouldn’t really even be in Pallet, you know…”

“I can do it, Dad,” Silver responded. “You should probably head back to Viridian; you have a full schedule.”

“Hmm … that doesn’t concern me, but … if that’s what you want, then I’ll be on my way. Amira, if you could call your grandmother, she was ready to tear the city apart, looking for you.”

“Okay…”

“I look forward to seeing you when you reach Viridian, my little Mew. Ariana and I will have a wonderful feast prepared to get to know your new…”

He paused as Matori leaned in to whisper to him. “Bill just sent word; Lusamine is showing signs of waking.”

Giovanni’s brow tightened. “Any response from Mohn?”

Matori shook her head. “No memories returned as of yet, but Guzma was visiting when it happened; he claims someone tried to assassinate her. Due to the suspicious activity, he’s currently being questioned.”

“Forward the information to Burnet and Kukui. They’ll get in contact with Gladion and Lillie if it’s good news. The security feed?”

“Already sent.”

The conversation was low, but loud enough to make it out with his device’s high sensitivity for the nearest voices. Her mother seemed to understand the significance of the news, showing tight lips.

Amira knew Lusamine and Guzma had a major hand in the Ultra War, but most of the war was classified; there had been periodic attempts against Lusamine’s life in the past, but she’d been unconscious since the war, and her grandfather had fronted the entire medical costs of discovering what happened to her.

His smile returned when turning to address them again. The software had to quickly adjust to his increased volume. “It seems some pressing things require my attention. I’m overjoyed to see you safe, Amira, and I can’t wait to see you in Viridian.”

“Thanks, Grandpa,” Amira mumbled, hoping Mallory didn’t hear her grandfather’s nickname for her, but her teammate seemed preoccupied with Rhea’s family across the room.

Her mother smiled at her father as Giovanni hung up, and it seemed both her parents wanted to discuss the news in private since her mother had a horrible poker face. “Thanks, Dear.”

Silver sighed, shaking his head. “I’m just glad it was someone like Keith … I’m sure you told them how worried we were.” His gaze turned to her, red eyes softening. “Always know we love you, Amira, and if you want to talk, your mother and I are always free for you.”

“Thanks, Dad,” she mumbled, eyeing Rhea’s family as her mother said her goodbyes.

Is Rhea’s family as constrictive as mine? I can’t go an hour without someone checking up on me. They seem to really care about her, too. What about Mallory’s parents? Cynthia said Grimsley took them in … are they dead? Her sister’s pretty famous, but I haven’t heard anything about their family.

Amber was settling down after Blue’s outburst, but she was still a bit agitated; to be truthful, Amira was still queasy herself from those chilling waves.

Amira’s gaze shifted to her mother’s smiling face. Her three-strand pigtail braids were pulled over her shoulders, fingers fiddling with the ends of her light brown locks. “... You’re playing with your hair again.” She noted with a faint smile.

“Oh! I am,” she giggled, forcing her hands to her lap. “So, what do you think about your new teammates? I’ve heard really good things about Rhea.”

She hummed while looking at the laughing family; Rhea’s mother returned with an annoyed expression, and there were noticeable bags under her eyes, showing the woman didn’t have a good sleep schedule.

“... I mean … wait, you’ve heard of Rhea? Why didn’t you say anything?” Amira growled.

“Hehe,” Lyra winked, “well, I had to investigate all the potential girls you could be paired with, and I felt like you’d get along better with Rhea than Kalayna. Erika’s daughter can be a bit … uh, a bit too shy to be paired with you.”

“Why’s that bad?” Amira challenged.

“Well, you’re kind of a bit shy, too.”

Wow … savage, Mom…

Reading her poker face with ease, Lyra rubbed her daughter’s knee with a forced smile. “Not that being shy is bad, but I just wanted to give you a bit of a better chance at getting to be around some girls that’ll let you live a little! I couldn’t be happier with the match-up, personally,” she noted, light brown irises moving to Mallory.

“Wait…” Amira’s eye creased suspiciously. “You want me to be the party-girl, going out and making a fool of myself? The News would be going crazy…”

“Oh, nonsense,” Lyra scoffed. “Please, when your dad and I became an item, and it came out that he was Giovanni’s son, we were the hot topic for a week, then the next story was out! Things like that don’t last long in the News; they need more clickbait to keep relevant, and there’s no clicks on old stories.”

Having heard a decent amount of her mother’s romantic advances toward her father, she had no doubt. Her dad was the shy one, with her mother going so far as to basically stalk him until she’d discovered his connections to Rocket when it was a criminal organization.

Lyra vehemently denied the fact she was a stalker while going so far as to infiltrate the organization. Sure, she had the side quest of dismantling the group, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out her real objective. Her mother saw herself as a hyper-active go-getter, yet the truth was that she really had trouble with boundaries; there wasn’t a shy bone in her mom’s body.

How her father told it, in private, of course, her mother just so happened to show up everywhere, and eventually, he grew to love her antics. Plus, he could never beat her in an actual Pokémon Battle. A bet they had soon became a recurring theme instead of money; if he won, she’d disappear from his life; if not, she would stick around. With her as proof, well, he’d never won.

Yet, at the same time, her mother had battled Legendary Pokémon, made friends with them in the past, and even stood her ground against Red when they were young. Although her mother could have been her sister if anyone looked at them side by side.

“You didn’t say no about the party-girl…”

“Nope, I didn’t, hehe. I want you to have fun!” She grinned, leaning against her side while resting her head against her shoulder. “You’ve been cooped up, walking on eggshells for so long … I want you to live a little. Don’t go crazy Casey Brooks on me, haha, but open up.”

“I’m trying … it’s just hard to trust anyone.”

“I know, I know,” her mother mumbled, now playing with her red hair. “Still, I saw the way that battle was going … Rhea really stepped in to help. How is she, by the way? Her family seems really worried.”

Amira’s brow creased, studying the laughing group as Drake broke into some story about an isolationist region he decided to check out as a teenager, basically making an enemy of several of the kingdoms that controlled the isolated landmass.

“Maybe at first, but now … you could fool me; they seem pretty carefree.”

“Mmh … I’m not so sure,” Lyra whispered, back to playing with her own pigtails. “That Master Ball is concerning.”

“Master what?”

“It’s the reason Mya was able to pull so much energy from Rhea,” her mother explained, lips tilted into a frown. “I got mine from Professor Elm when I became a Master-tier Trainer … only Masters are supposed to have them.”

“Was that the reason Rhea collapsed?”

“Most likely,” Lyra mumbled. Her smile returned, rising while dragging her along. “I know Cynthia the best; let’s go join them!”

“Mom…”

“Cynthia! Hey, so, how’s Rhea doing?”

The group’s focus moved back to them with a smile, but Amira was still stuck with the overwhelming first impression of power that passed between Blue and the group.

“Christie?” Cynthia asked, turning to the scientist beside her.

Rhea’s mom scratched the back of her neck with irritation. “Brock’s still setting everything up and running the tests. I don’t have a lot of faith in the equipment here, but it is the best place nearby. I believe she’ll recover just fine … there are other calculations I’m puzzling through, though.”

Cynthia gave Lyra a forced smile. “There you have it. We’re just waiting for the preliminary examination.”

Keith chuckled. “Yeah, we’re just lucky Brock was volunteering today. Not many doctors would understand our daughter’s circumstance better than him.”

“That’s good!” Lyra returned, pulling over a couch to enter the circle while nudging Amira to sit with her. “So, how’s Dawn, Cynthia?”

“Hmm?” Cynthia’s lips curved into a playful smirk. “Want me to set up a match between you two? She could use the experience.”

“Oh, no!” Lyra giggled. “We haven’t been training for years; we’re really rusty.”

“All the better,” Drake grinned. “Dawn’s a pretty good Trainer, but don’t count yer team out, Lyra. It’s been several years, but I can tell they’ve still got their edge.”

Her mother seemed to be really enjoying herself, which was pretty rare when conversing about training with other Trainers, but they were in legendary company that could understand her. “Thanks, Drake. Maybe we can set up a fun match sometime. Oh, how about when we all set up a time to meet our girls!”

There it is … she’s making plans for a gathering in the future. Amira internally mused.

The conversation flipped between topics, including seeing their Pokémon, and Cynthia recovered Amber’s stamina with her Togekiss. Lori’s shiny Froakie and Amber looked at the massive floating Pokémon like a god, asking questions and receiving advice. Her mother even sent out Zelri, her 4”11 Porygon-Z, to join in the fun.

Cynthia and her mother moved off at some point to discuss something privately, and Amira caught a few phrases that puzzled her. She caught three people mentioned throughout the broken conversation, Lusamine, Mars, Cyrus, and something about being roped into a situation.

Cynthia’s expression reminded her of Blue’s not too long ago, but she was well in control, which was actually a bit more frightening.

Amira didn’t know why her aunt was mentioned in the conversation. She hadn't seen her Aunt Mars for a long time, and it just seemed like something her father and grandfather never brought up. She’d only met her when she was really young.

However, Cyrus was one of the most infamous terrorists in the world and strong enough to require Champion-tier Trainers to get involved. There was even a rumor that he’d beaten Lance and Trace at one point and basically confirmed to have battled Leon to a standstill in Galar a year ago, forcing both to retreat.

Cynthia had some kind of personal connection to him, and what that was depended on who you asked. Amira tried not to feed into rumors since she’d been the subject of many in the past that were just wrong.

After a time, Rhea woke up, and as her family waited for Brock to return, their agitation grew, especially her mother’s, but eventually she called for people to enter, and to Amira’s shock, the first invites were Mallory and her. Her mother waved them off with Rhea’s family.

She was more than a little nervous when seeing Rhea in the hospital bed with all the beeping and dozens of graphs spread across the massive tech board. The conversation was even more confusing; they were actually treating her as a teammate.

Amira’s gaze shifted between the two girls, Lori already making plans for when they reached Viridian, yet her mind was still fixated on all the conflicting thoughts smashing against her frazzled brain.

Rhea’s basically working backward … all of her energy is available for use, but her Pokémon aren’t bonded or experienced enough to understand how much to use it. Plus, this is a massive investment on her mother’s part … there’s a lot of pressure on her, yet she doesn’t seem all that concerned about it. How can she be so fine with it? What if her mother’s just using her?

Cass … Casey Brooks? Who is she talking … it has to be Casey Brooks, but if … they’re planning on … no, but grandpa wants us to stop by the building! Should I tell them, though?

Lori kept talking about parties, spas, and future plans for Viridian. Her mind was already a whirlwind of thoughts between Rhea’s situation, mixed with theirs, her family, and the plans for the coming day.

Would they want to have dinner with Grandpa and Grandma? I mean, they don’t seem to really have a problem with … wait…

“Woah, hey,” Amira’s mind snapped out as Lori mentioned Rocket contacts. “What do you mean, Rocket contacts?”

“Oh, and … yeah, yeah,” Mallory nodded, perfect teeth gleaming as her purple eyes sparked to life. “No, I need to go call Cass! Hey, I’ll be back later to see how you’re doing.”

She doesn’t actually think I can just snap my fingers and get Rocket employees to do whatever I want, does she?

Lori was halfway to the door before Rhea managed to stop her, making Amira breathe a sigh of relief.

Yeah, this is too crazy! We can’t get caught up in…

“Woah, hey, Lori! Umm … yeah, there’s this other girl team that I met; can I invite them to the spa?”

What? No, what about her talking about...

“Huh? Yeah, sure, why not?” Lori replied with a lifted eyebrow as if she were strange for even asking. “Okay, well, I gotta set some things up! Oh, what if … yeah, yeah!” She giggled while exiting the room, long purple hair weaving behind her.

Amira stood in place, feeling utterly overshadowed.

Why didn’t I fight more?! She just steamrolled right through! No, I can’t go to jail for breaking the law; Viridian Police don’t mess around! They’re super strict…

“I … mmh…” Amira moaned, lips a tight line while staring after her.

Rhea gave her an apologetic smile. “Ahem … umm, I mean, Lori’s a lot more crafty than Cass when it comes to her … crashing. Uh, it’s usually not such a big deal … at least when she was in Sinnoh.”

That’s not the issue! Police Commissioner Jenny isn’t like the Commissioners in other cities!

The panic rising in Amira’s chest soon exploded. “Mmghmm … you sure it’s not just because she knows all the right people in Sinnoh? There are so many people in Viridian that would love to see me in jail overnight … it would be a scandal that could … I just can’t…”

She rushed after Mallory, heels tapping with her exit, but the purple-haired girl wasn’t anywhere in sight when she made it to the waiting room.

“Where’s Mallory?” Amira mumbled aloud; it couldn’t have been more than a minute since she left.

“Hmm?” Sabin pointed toward a side door. “She went into the bathroom down the hall.”

“Thanks!”

Her mother gave her a questioning look as the nurse moved past her toward Rhea’s room. Amira made it to the location, noticing it was a single-use, meaning she’d have to wait until Mallory was out.

Growling with frustration, she glared at the door before her gaze shifted up and down the hall; this side of the hospital seemed practically not in use compared to the previous areas they’d passed through, which made sense if this was a VIP section.

We can go to a party, whatever, but … just not in Viridian! Gah … just tell them that, stupid!

Running her hands through her thick red hair, fingers tickling her scalp, she moaned, returning to the previous room to wait for Lori. All of Rhea’s family were gone, likely talking with her as her mother sat by the window, humming an old song to herself.

She was doing her best to not look stressed; keeping a confident posture and expression had been an important defense mechanism she’d learned from her Rocket side. Amira finally gave up, pulling her glasses off her dress front to put them on, tinting the brightly lit room red.

Her stress instantly dropped a tad with the comforting action, acting like the tint put a barrier between her and the things that distressed her.

Lyra gave her a dubious smile as Amira promptly walked over to sit beside her, crossing her legs while resting her hands on her lap, smoothing out her red dress.

Her mother nudged her with a short snicker. “I play with my hair and you put on your glasses. We’re both helpless, huh? What’s bugging you, Sweetie?”

“Mmgh … Mallory’s planning some crash party or something … in Viridian, and Grandpa wants us to come over…”

“Aww, you haven’t told them yet?” Lyra asked with a soft sigh, resting her head on her shoulder. “What did I tell you?”

“I’m shy, I know,” Amira mumbled, suppressing a blush. “Still, you know Commissioner Jenny will totally lock us up for the night if we’re caught doing anything even remotely illegal.”

“Hehe, that’s not so bad,” she giggled. “I was locked up a ton when I was still journeying around with your dad and Ethan, back when I was seventeen … those were the days.”

“Yeah, well … you trespassed everywhere … and Ethan, or should we call him Gold,” Amira groaned, rolling her eyes. “Yeah, he’s in a class of his own. Ethan makes Casey Brooks’ act look like a nun.”

“Oh, Ethan’s funny, but yeah … he can get a bit wild,” she mumbled with a fond reminiscent smile. “You should have seen him and Red go at it … month after month, back and forth … I’m shocked Mt. Silver and the Tohjo Mountains survived.”

Amira glanced away, her mother easily pulling her mind away from the stress clouding her heart. “Humph, Ethan’s legendary ego is the thing that shocks me … at least Red isn’t a narcissist.”

“Oh, people are too harsh on Ethan,” her mother mumbled, still resting her head against Amira’s shoulder, and again, she was playing with the ends of her pigtails. “Hey…”

“Hmm?”

“You should go along with Mallory and Rhea.”

“Even if we break the law?” Amira replied with an incredulous tone, gazing down at her smiling mother.

“Casey can push the line pretty hard, but I’ve looked into Mallory, and she knows how to play the political game. Knows her rights, too,” she giggled. “I’ve talked with Grimsley about her, and you’ve also got Karen on you girls’ side, too. No matter how much dirt’s thrown on that woman, it never sticks! It’s impressive, really.”

“...”

“I’m just saying,” Lyra groaned, “stop worrying about everything you do. If people want to look for things to pin on your grandfather, then they’ll do it. I don’t want you to be a lonely star; you’re such an amazing girl, and I want to see you Bellossom.”

“Really, Mom … Bellossom?”

Her mother’s tongue stuck out, giving her a cute wink. “Hehe, I couldn’t resist! Seriously, though,” her arm wrapped around her waist, hugging her tight, “let it go, and just have fun! You’ve got my permission, Dad’s, Grandpa’s, Grandma’s, everyone!”

“... You’re just saying that,” Amira mumbled, rubbing her mom’s smooth, thin arm around her stomach. “... I’m just scared.”

“There we go,” Lyra mumbled, rocking their bodies side to side while squeezing her harder. “I’m scared to let you go, too! Petrified!” She whispered, voice cracking a bit, and a swift sniff told her all she needed to know with her mother’s face buried against her breast.

“I’ve had you for so long to myself … you have no idea how grounded you’ve kept me … but I need to let you go, and I’m so terrified of what’s waiting out there for you, but I gotta trust you, too. I know you’re responsible … too responsible. Give it time, and I know Rhea and Mallory will prove that they’re worthy of your trust, but … you need to at least open the door a crack to let them try.”

Amira let go of a long puff of air, reaching up and around to hug her mother back. “I love you, Mom.”

“I love you, too. Just give them a chance, okay?”

“... Okay…”

She was still nervous about Viridian, but her mother helped to calm the swirl of emotions in her chest. Amira had enough time to clear up the distress before Lori came back in, walking toward them with her hands behind her back and a hop in her step.

“Hey, Amira! Champion Lyra!”

“Oh, Lyra, Dear, please!”

Amira was a little surprised at how much Lori knew about her mother, talking about several old matches she had that were still cycling the web in Unova. Lyra added more context to a lot of the posts, captivating Mallory’s attention, and after a bit, Cynthia walked out, bidding them goodbye and saying that Rhea would be fine, approving of their journey.

Silver stopped in for a bit to drop off their bags, teleported in by Keith, and before he headed off, dropped them off at a local hotel he apparently booked year-round. Mallory was talkative, opening up about some of the music she liked, asking to trade playlists.

She did her best to comply with her mother’s wishes, and with Lori’s personality, it was much easier to share a few of her likes with the purple-haired girl. Amber and Mallory’s Froakie, Gables, got better acquainted, and she seemed to enjoy the little shiny frog’s company.

They turned in early for the night, Amber and Gables sleeping in each of their beds; Amira felt a lot better about her journey. Still, she was dubious about Lori’s love for hot sauces after dinner.