Rhea’s muscles stiffened as something warm rubbed up against her back; eyes cracking open blurrily, she stifled a yawn, recognizing it was Hannah’s back snuggling closer to her while pulling at the sheets.

Hannah’s nighttime rustling had exposed a quarter of her body. The thermostat wasn’t set low enough where it’d cause Rhea discomfort, and the city wasn’t as cold as the village that was a decent distance above sea-level on the high abrasion Pallet Bay coast. The hills surrounding Route 1 helped to shield the inland from the cold winds carried down from the western expansive Tohjo sierra that was largely uninhabited by humans.

Glancing beside the bed, Rhea squinted as she felt Mya telling her to go back to sleep; it was 2:14 A.M. She wasn’t used to sharing a mattress with anyone. Yawning, she smacked her lips and took a sip of the water she’d prepared by the bed. She thanked Mya, scooted away from Hannah a bit to resituate on her side, and drifted back into her dreams.

When she woke again, it was from Amira opening the door to exit the bathroom. Wiping at her sleep encrusted eyes, Rhea stretched carefully, scooting to the edge of the bed. Glancing back, she noticed Hannah had taken all the sheets, unconsciously wrapping herself in them like a cocoon throughout the night. Her light red hair ponytail sticking out of the top. Peeking around a bit, Rhea giggled softly; it wrapped around her face, under her chin, and around her back.

Glancing around at the other girls, she saw Mallory stretched out across the bed, making Rhea wonder how Amira’s sleep had gone. Each of the girls’ Pokemon had taken the armchairs by the window; Amber was the only one up, spending time with her Trainer with a swaying tail, flames leaving a slight trail with the movements. Sam and Jade were on opposite sides of the bed, near the edge.

Rhea got up, doing a few quick stretches to loosen up. “Morning, Amira,” she whispered.

“Morning,” she mumbled, without pausing her regular routine.

Adjusting her bikini and bottoms, Rhea moved to get her replacement pair from her bag with her morning kit, figuring she had enough time to throw the previous ones in the washer and dryer before they headed out.

“How’d you sleep with Lori like that?” She asked with a soft giggle, eyeing the purple-haired girl’s half-covered figure.

“Hmm?” Amira glanced back after making sure her hair towel was adequately secured. “Oh … she wasn’t like that when I got up.”

“Huh,” Rhea smiled while moving to take the bathroom; she figured Hannah, Sam, and Jade got up much later than they usually did.

Showering and getting ready, she noticed Amira playing with her phone on the only free armchair; Gables was draped over the table between. Once she’d just about finished, Mallory got up with a low moan and started her morning stretches.

Amira said there wasn’t anything exciting in the News, but their match hit MemeStar’s Top 10 ranking for a few hours last night and that it would mitigate a fair amount of Trainers challenging them.

Mallory chuckled while reading through the comments, and Rhea posted a PikaBook update, sifting through a few of her relatives’ updates. Jason seemed to have convinced his party to stay in Dark City for the Yas Gym Bronze-tier Challenge, and he was taking a lot more pictures than her because of his sister and mother’s demands.

She smiled at all the funny poses and personality photos Jason and Len took together, while Lucian seemed utterly focused and serious in the background. A few battles they’d recorded of each other, posting them, and apparently, Lucian wasn’t happy about Gables and Lori’s Memeing that drew even more attention to her team.

Amira left to get some morning OJ after she was satisfied with her phone; Lori and Rhea sent her some credits to bring them back some. Sam, Hannah, and Jade got up in order, greeting them. They were still getting ready when Amira returned.

Handing them their recyclable containers, Amira asked, “You two ready to head out?”

“Oh, you guys are going already?” Sam asked, drying her hair while Jade just exited the shower.

Amira pointed at the clock. “If we leave before 7, then I’m pretty sure we can make it to Viridian by 5 or 6 P.M. It’s pretty simple on the route.”

“All the way there in just twelve hours,” Hannah chuckled. “Yeah, sounds like you guys, umm … yeah, we’ll keep up on your posts, Rhea.”

“Oh … leaving?” Jade asked, a pink towel on her wet hair.

“It’d be nice to get to Viridian,” Mallory commented. “Maybe we’ll get some challenges on the way; that’d be fun, wouldn’t it, Gables!” He held up a hand, and Lori slapped it. “Yeah!”

“Make sure you guys post a bunch, too,” Rhea smiled at the three girls. “Don’t be shy about commenting, too.”

“Nope, we won’t,” Sam assured. “Uh … so, I just wanted to say thank you!” The other three mirrored her.

“I was a bit scared about all this stuff,” Hannah chuckled, “especially after my other team kind of … yeah, fell apart, a bit; uh, since I didn’t have anyone to really join up with, and then we all met because of you!”

Jade hummed thoughtfully. “Yeah, and everything worked out! Oh, next time, can we see Nova? I just want to pet her so bad!”

“Oh, yes! Please?” Sam mirrored with a smile.

“Umm, yeah, it shouldn’t be a problem once we get to Viridian,” Rhea mumbled, grinning at Nova’s own pleas. “She’d like that.”

With a few more words, hugs, and promises to keep up with each other’s progress, they put on their backpacks and left for Viridian, keeping their glasses on their shirt fronts for when it rose.

Rhea glanced around at the dark forest village as they started their journey; the soft breeze that did cut through the hills tickled her neck. The heavens were brightening swiftly, the first rays beginning to cut across the sky at 6 A.M. At 7, they had decent visibility to travel, but it would still take another thirty minutes before they’d have to put on their sunglasses.

She was a little surprised to see young Trainers at the battlefield, probably training with their teammates to increase their Pokemon battle awareness. It was a good idea that Rhea thought would help once her Pokemon were able to come out. Mya was settling in for sleep as Nova took over; they were both excited to be free to roam around by the end of the day.

Mallory was using the travel time to sing songs with Gables; Rhea jumped in on a few she knew, and even Amira reluctantly joined every so often. The Rocket girl definitely had the best voice out of them, which got Lori interested in pulling her into the marching anthems.

Rhea was a bit surprised at how much easier the progress was on a smooth dirt trail, but she saw a lot less Pokemon, and those she did spot were very shy, hiding in the brush or high in the trees. She couldn’t be sure, but it seemed like a few asked Gables and Amber things, which they either ignored or gave a short response that silenced the others.

She’d been told Pokemon would be quick to jump challenge Trainers and their Pokemon, hoping for a chance to be caught, and while there had been a few attempts when they were in the hills, not one tried while they were on the trail. The most obvious answer was the exchange between Gables and Amber to the wild Pokemon chirps, relaying the news that they weren’t in the market for new additions, and they should conserve their energy for someone that would be.

It was a little shocking how fast they overtook people, too; many Trainers that had likely started an hour before them were left in the dust as they traveled at a consistent pace. Rhea began feeling the stress in her body after several hours, Amira and Mallory setting the pace, which started to annoy her a bit as they drew closer to the city.

Are they getting tired, or am I still not 100%? Maybe they’re just more fit than I am … I mean, Amira seems to be pretty fit, but Lori’s just as tone as I am. Could she have more physical fortitude? Well, no, a few weeks ago, I could hike through the mountains at home further than we've traveled so far … I must not be 100%. How long will it take?

Nova was a welcomed cheerleader, urging her on, and her dad always said once you break past the body’s natural response, telling you to stop, then it would get a lot easier. She hadn’t reached that point for many years, but something was definitely lacking at the moment because the soreness was returning by 4 P.M when they passed into Victory Forest, Viridian territory.

They were making much better progress than Amira predicted because of their swift movements, and several groups gave them wide-eyed looks, watching their rapid progress with full packs. The 40-mile route from Xanadu Nursery to Viridian took them a little over 10 hours to complete with two small breaks to get out a snack, meaning they’d kept a consistent pace of about 4-miles an hour.

At 5:06 P.M., they rounded a small hill, spotting Viridian in the distance as they exited the Victory Forest; the sight caused Rhea to slow to a stop.

Mallory and Amira were busy with their phones, signals becoming stronger since they were entering the city area. It took them a moment to realize she’d lagged behind. Lori noticed first, glancing back with a small frown.

“Rhea? Are you feeling okay?”

“Hmm?” Amira asked, coming to a stop a bit further ahead.

A lump dropped down Rhea’s throat; she’d seen some of the images before, but looking at it in a photo was nothing like the scope of the city in person.

Massive skyscrapers blocked out any chance of catching what lay beyond Viridian, and there were relatively few big buildings like she’d seen in Pallet because everything was more than ten times larger.

A few hundred meters from the buildings outside the city was a path that cars or joggers could take around the city, and a concrete wall rose around it with Viridian Police on top, probably keeping wild Pokemon from wandering inside and people from skipping the checkpoint.

Several paths lead to different entry points that a Trainer could take at least a mile apart, but the sheer vastness of looking left and right took Rhea’s breath away.

Several Trainers with their Pokemon walked past her; they’d only recently overtaken the group, and judging by their backward glances, they were talking about them. Rhea was too taken by the sweet scent of fruit trees peppering the valley below.

“How … many people live in Viridian?” Rhea mumbled.

Amira scratched her temple, full lips drawing in to take in her home city. “Eh … something like five million. About two million less than Saffron City, but we overtook Celadon about … ten years ago? It’s the second biggest city in Kanto, now. My grandfather brought a lot of business with the competitive lower corporate tax reforms that he proposed. The expansion to Viridian Bay was the biggest boom. The Viridian Docks are always busy with ships and goods.”

“Wow…” Rhea mumbled, head slowly moving to the right to see the ocean far to the right. It seemed that Giovanni had planned for the entire thing since the hill they stood on had been partially dug out to level the whole city’s ground, which must have taken a lot of Ground Pokemon and equipment. “How long did … all this take?”

Amira waved to her, pointing at a spot further down the trail. “There’s a better view over there … it was designed to view the valley.”

Rhea followed her suggestion to a lifted ramp in the wide trail constructed to drop into the valley. Many more lookouts appeared to have been created to the right and the left, showing uniform and well-maintained multi-level shelves that had brick holding back the earth around the city’s hilly environment.

Amira pointed at different things with a soft smile, probably happy to explain everything to them as they got to the lookout point, climbing up the green-themed Viridian brick stairs.

“Actually, my grandpa did most of this with his own Pokemon, and much of it is still owned and maintained by him. See those carts all over there … yeah, those ones way down there … they’re Rocket employees that are hired to maintain the fields, flowers, and gardens.

“Those pink groves with gray trunks that have the yellow fruit, they’re Shuca Trees,” she giggled with a smile that Rhea hadn’t seen yet. “My grandpa had them planted to see how many Trainers would actually use them, not many, it turns out. Most just use them as snacks before heading into the city.”

“Are they good against Ground-types?” Mallory asked, watching the tiny figures below them move about their business.

“Mhm!” Amira replied, pulling back her braided hair and adjusting her cap as the wind picked up. “Certain berries have internal energies that Pokemon can digest to give them certain effects for a very limited time. The Shuca berry gives a Pokemon some Ground-type defensive energy; my grandpa put them there for Trainers to figure out. It’s not illegal to use a berry just before starting a Gym Battle.”

“Good to know…” Mallory mumbled. “I mean, it is against the rules in Unova, but it’s nice to know that’s different in Kanto.”

“Oh, not everywhere,” Amira giggled. “You have to look up the rules of each Gym; they are allowed to be used in Viridian, though.”

“What about those other trees?” Lori asked, pointing at the grove on the opposite side of the path.

“Ah, the green trees with the football-shaped yellow fruit are Charti berries.” She smirked, “Most just use them as free pickles, but they make Pokemon resist Rock-type Moves for a small time. My grandpa said he put those there as a nod to the Pewter Gym.”

“Should we grab some?” Lori asked. “I mean, will they last until we get to Pewter?”

“Probably not,” Rhea mumbled. “Berries don’t last that long once they’re plucked.”

“Right,” Amira gave her a charming smile; it seemed she was becoming a lot more confident with her home city in sight. “Berries are actually very expensive in their base form since every part of it can be used for so many things. A single Charti berry could cost you 500 credits, and its effects only last a few minutes.”

“Oh,” Mallory’s eyes twinkled. “Can we get some and try to sell them on the way to Pallet, maybe in Dark City?”

“Eh … no,” Amira chuckled. “Berry selling is illegal without a business license, and Pewter is pretty picky about where they can be imported. Dark City Charti berries would cost you 200 credits since it’s more popular in the Viridian province.”

“Aww…” Lori pouted.

Rhea was a little surprised at how pretty the city was, and Pokemon could be seen flying between buildings, seemingly patrolling the area. “There’s so much…”

“Oh, it’s way bigger than that,” Amira scoffed. “You’re only seeing the front view … see that big one that’s poking up way back there?”

“Let me guess,” Lori’s smile returned, following her direction, “that’s where you live?”

“The big ‘R’ on the building is a giveaway,” Rhea chuckled.

“... No,” Amira mumbled, lips falling a little, “that’s where my grandparents live. My parents live in another building … yeah, it’s nice, but my grandpa didn’t give it to them.”

Rhea and Mallory held up their hands in defense.

“No, no,” Rhea protested, “I’m not trying to say anything bad!”

“Yeah! No,” Mallory jumped in. “It’s just a bit funny to see that.”

Amira’s cheeks darkened while glancing down at the pretty valley preceding the futuristic city, gripping the rails as their Pokemon studied the area from a small sitting area. “Well … my grandpa developed the entire area himself … without help. He designed the valley and carved it out with his own Pokemon.”

Rhea’s eyes widened; she knew it was possible since her own father was a Grandmaster, but it would still be an undertaking. “No way…”

“Everyone thought Viridian would die … you know, after all the old Rocket stuff,” she mumbled, fingered tightening around the railing. “The Gym was the big thing that even brought people to Viridian … or the League, but Viridian didn’t have the housing or means to handle something like that. The city leadership was terrible … my grandpa sank all of Rocket’s resources into it and built it up from scratch … all of this … Pallet, Pewter, all the other cities. He almost went bankrupt.”

“No way,” Lori hummed. “Isn’t the Rocket company super-rich, though?”

“Yeah, well … when I was a little girl, he almost lost everything. We were about to move into my mom’s parents’ house in Johto because my dad had to put a loan against our own house to help my grandpa.”

“Wow,” Rhea whispered, and Amira’s cheeks darkened further.

“N-No, nevermind … umm, yeah, so my grandpa built everything here. Now a lot of businesses enjoy Viridian’s economy … the second biggest car company in Kanto is based here.”

“Cool,” Mallory giggled. “Okay, but maybe you should actually show us around!”

“Yeah…” Amira brushed by them, climbing down the stairs to continue down the road, clearly embarrassed about sharing something a bit personal.

Rhea followed after her, lips lifting a bit. “Was … that hard time when Hollywood wasn’t doing so good?”

“They’ve gone up and down a few times,” Amira mumbled, “but … no, the bad part was just before my grandpa started throwing all his fortune into Viridian.”

Amira guided them toward the front gate; the wide, Route 1 road came to a gate check-in system, and there was another path that led around the city walls for those that didn’t need to go into Viridian, but another customs point was further down that path to make sure no one was carrying contraband.

The Rocket girl’s mood was much brighter than what Rhea had come to expect from Amira; she really seemed to enjoy talking about her city and knew so many things that Rhea’s head was beginning to spin at all the details she’d point to and explain. It was undoubtedly the most talkative she’d been, and that alone made Rhea happy.

However, when they came up to the gate at 5:47 P.M., they were greeted by several groups of Trainers, and more battle requests proceeded. This time, Rhea smiled at the challenges; walking up to meet the throng, she spoke up. Amira had mentioned something that piqued her interest along the way.

“Okay, whoever wants to challenge me or my team; I hope you know that battling outside Viridian walls is actually illegal!”

A few girls and boys apparently didn’t, glancing toward the gate behind them with the policemen logging people entering the city by passport or Trainer ID. Pallet didn’t have near the security Viridian boasted, but you couldn’t even hope to compare the size of each.

“However,” Rhea pointed at the city, “there are Self-Service Battlefields in Viridian for anyone to battle; there is a service fee per match, but whoever wants to battle us, follow us!”

Mallory giggled at how forward and gung-ho she was, but Rhea was feeling the pent-up emotions of her Pokemon, too. Nova was basically prodding Mya to wake up with squeals of excitement; they could finally shine.

Rhea was feeling a lot better after resting a bit, listening to Amira fangirl about her city, and they’d taken a more casual descent than when they’d trekked through the winding route.

The fact she was recovering quickly meant she was getting better, and the big reason why Mya had utterly drained her in the first place was due to the swift back-to-back Moves she used by funneling Rhea’s own energy into them.

If Nova battled normally, without using any high-energy type Moves like Mya’s Psych Up, Sucker Punch, Swords Dance, or Thunder Fang, and avoided brute-forcing her Moves with more energy, then it shouldn’t be that much of a problem for Rhea. The big thing right now was getting her Pokemon out now to build their own internal energy production to help mitigate the draw from her own.

She might feel a little fatigued, depending on how many people challenged her, but after three, she’d be able to decline the rest without penalty.

“Where’s the nearest one, Amira?” Rhea asked as the groups mumbled to one another.

“Umm … 135th and Main … oh, uh … just a few streets down after we get in.”

“Sweet! Okay, let’s go, and I’ll battle everyone in order!” She replied, accepting the first challenge without looking at who it was. “Better hurry!”

They went into the crowded front gate’s entrance building, getting into line. An advanced scanner would identify anything a person was trying to hide on or inside their body.

Rhea showed her Trainer ID with her phone and logged her Pokemon that she had on her person; according to Amira, the big rotating device they passed through could detect anyone trying to hide Pokemon, and Gold-tier Viridian Officers were stationed nearby with a Raichu and Ninetales to assure everything transitioned smoothly.

Unlike the officers she saw on the way out of Pallet that looked pretty chill and laid-back, with the exception of the first day, the Viridian Officers’ eyes were very sharp and intimidating; Rhea recalled Amira’s statement about the Viridian Police being very strict with Police Commissioner Jenny running the outfit.

The second Amira was noticed by the gate attendants, they pushed them through by having another person come in from the back to process their entry; the two male Officers’ eyed Amira for a moment before pulling up what she assumed was a police communicator, but it was much more sleek and slim than the bulky radios Pallet’s Officers had.

She couldn’t make out what they said past the mumbles of the throng behind them and the soft whirring of the machine, but Rhea could guess what the subject was; Amira Rocket was back in the metropolis.

Passing to the other side much sooner than Rhea expected with the special treatment that caught a few people’s eyes, she walked out of the building, vision adjusting to the light reflecting off the skyscrapers’ smooth glass.

She waited with her team for her challengers to exit the building, studying the very nice and clean streets. To say it was packed would be an understatement, and Rhea figured many would actually use the Magnet Train to go to Silver City for the Summer Indigo League matches and return to Viridian to sleep in their luxury hotels.

The skyscrapers all had unique twists and shapes, only similar in height with a few housing gravity elevators, allowing travel between buildings and reducing ground traffic.

Stylish car models she’d never seen before zipped by on the road; gravity technology programming hadn’t been developed to the point of for general vehicles yet, but she’d heard Rocket was the leading company in the technology, so it made sense there would be many products in the city that incorporated the devices.

The metallic green, red, and black Viridian-flair color-scheme the Capital incorporated made it clear that Rocket had a lot of influence. Giovanni was globally one of the most successful businessmen in the world, a Grandmaster Trainer, and the standing leader of the city’s Gym for decades; he’d clearly dedicated much of his life to the metropolis and tied its progress with his own.

Despite the modern theme, it didn’t skimp on its natural roots as home to the Earth Badge, dedicating plenty of room between buildings to host well-maintained gardens that Rhea saw city workmen pruning. She guessed littering had a pretty hefty fine because not a scrap of paper could be seen on the wide roads and sidewalks.

“Umm, Amira … how far is 135th … a few streets as in … these are big streets…”

Amira smiled. “135th is short for 13,500th, which means it is near the edge of the city. It’s only like an 8-minute walk from here.”

“Only 8 minutes,” Mallory chuckled. “I gotta say it is impressive. I still think Castelia is bigger, but … yeah, maybe not quite as advanced … or well laid out,” she mumbled. “I bet we’ve definitely got a bigger dock, though!”

“Well,” Amira hummed thoughtfully, “I mean, I’ve only seen videos of Castelia City, but we don’t have the sketchy back alleys that city has. My grandpa helped design it to have the towering buildings while keeping enough room to still enjoy the space … mainly to have room for traffic, though … since we import a lot of goods.”

“Makes sense,” Mallory mused.

Rhea glanced back as a few of the Trainer teams started to exit with the crowds of tourists, and one boy came up with a bright smile. “Umm … I was the first one that challenged you…” He was clearly from northern Galar by his accent.

“What about us?” Mallory asked, pulling up her phone. “Anyone on your team … no, they’re still in the line by the distance,” she sighed.

“Uh, no, no, just me, and my name’s Dylan Aiken! I saw your match from the Starter Award, and your Mawile was insane!”

“Thanks,” Rhea chuckled while adjusting her glasses. “So … do you have one Pokemon?”

“Aye! Uh, so, will ya use your Mawile?”

Rhea shook her head with a small smile. “Nope, my other Pokemon wants to get some action. She’s been really excited to jump into the ring.”

“Oh, sweet! I can’t wait to see her; the surprise will be fun.”

Once everyone made it out of the building and met up, they walked into the crowd with Amira leading the way; more than one of the followers were starstruck by the metropolis’ grandeur. Most of the residents commuting didn’t even pay them a second look, talking in their little groups, but the tourists were easily recognizable by their open mouths, leaning back to stare up at each unique building’s architecture.

One particular structure snatched her attention a block down; it looked like a vertical three-dimensional wave pattern with a spire coming out of the top, and when they moved, certain shades changed color to display abstract color patterns.

They arrived at the Self-Service Battlefield sooner than she expected, walking in with Amira as the rest lingered a moment to stare up at the colossal twisting structure they were entering. While they waited, Amira took out a piece of gum and popped it into her mouth before casually walking to the elevator to press the button, explaining the process.

“There’s an information attendant that will tell you the rules; this one is only rated for Silver-tier and below. Depending on the damage to the field, more credits can be taken out for repairs, but it caps out at 500 credits a match, and it’s only designed for Single Matches; there’s also a 5% tax added to the damage bill.

“There are other rules, like 5-minute time-limits per match with a device that will generally rule a winner; there’s some people that complain about it since it’s not super accurate if both Pokemon are near the same stamina, but it is what it is when you use this kind of establishment. Better ones will take more of a cut, and I figured this is the lowest one nearby. It’s probably not the cheapest, but it’ll do. B3, by the way; only 10 people per lift,” she told the nervous crowd.

“C’mon,” Mallory nudged her as they filed into the gravity elevator, “we gotta save money where we can! Where’s the cheapest place nearby?”

Amira shrugged, popping a bubble. “I really never checked, to be honest, I never had a reason to, but I’ve heard this is a cheaper one. The one down 129th and 400th apparently has glitches.”

Rhea gave her an impressed grin; Nova was hyping herself up with Mya cheering her on. “Wow … how do you keep track of everything in this place?”

“I’ve lived here all my life; I hope I’d know my way around,” she mumbled. “We just don’t go to Rally Square … too much political garbage, and there’s usually problems with different protest groups that the Police handle.”

“Oh?” Rhea hummed. “I thought you weren’t into the whole political scene?”

Amira released a short chuckle, sticking the gum against the inside of her cheek. “Growing up in it and knowing the ins and outs of it are something else entirely from enjoying it. There’s been a whole Plasma organization protest going on recently, demanding some guy named Zinzolin be released since he was apprehended in Viridian, awaiting extradition to Unova. Apparently, Ethan is overseeing his confinement right now.”

“Well … he’s not going anywhere,” Rhea mumbled, mind flashing back to the cocky Legendary-tier firestarter. “I bet he’s doing it in hopes something will happen … that’d be like him … wait, if he’s here, does that mean … is Hilbert here?” She vaguely recalled Bianca mentioning he’d be training with Ethan a few days ago.

The other teams listened in to the conversation with interest as the elevator stopped and they walked out to the extensive underground area; they were far further below ground than Rhea thought they’d be but figured it had to be with all the wiring, pipes, and other objects that were under the city roads.

Six decently sized Battlefields were around the area, with five currently in use by different Trainer groups, young and old, chilling while watching or getting ready to participate in daily coaching.

“I don’t know,” Amira replied. They shifted directions away from the attendant’s desk; she was eyeing them with pursed lips, likely wondering if they knew the rules. “My mom just texted me that Ethan was guarding him, so there’s no reason to worry … not that I was, but she’s like that,” she whispered.

The news was pretty big, or at least Rhea thought it was. The city currently had two Champion-tier Trainer, Hilbert and Lyra, possibly a few Grandmasters with her dad here, and whoever else was here because of her mother being present, then you had Ethan, a Legendary-tier Trainer that rivaled her aunt. If anyone did try anything, then they were actually insane; having Ethan guard him was already basically a death sentence for whoever attempted it.

When everyone arrived, Rhea snatched Nova’s pokeball off her belt, tossing it to the floor with a smile. She was a little surprised the pressure wasn’t as bad as it was before; everyone’s gaze shot to her unique Eevee, and even Rhea was stunned by the display. Between the time she’d come out at Pallet’s Pokemon Center and now, she’d grown to 11 inches tall.

Nova stretched out before looking up at the crowd and chipping cutely, but internally, she could feel her not so little Eevee demanding attention. Her paws, tail tip, mane, and the inner section of her long ears were a sleek night black, contrasting the alabaster hue of her fur, and the shimmering pink irises only highlighted her cuteness.

* * *

Nova came out of her pokeball with a surge of glee; it had been days since she’d been able to stretch her physical body, and the sensation was as enjoyable as she remembered. Equally invigorating, she opened her eyes and puffed out her chest with an expectant smile. Just as expected, the stunned crowd marveled at her beauty for a moment and then fought over her attention.

“She’s precious!”

“Can I hold her?”

“Where did you get her?”

Her ears twitched as they began stroking her fur with Rhea’s permission; Amber’s voice pulled her attention to the right.

“Oh, so you must be Nova.”

She could see the sleek furred Fennekin beside her Trainer, giving her a small smile.

“I am!” She eagerly replied. “I’ve been watching you guys for a bit; I really liked the battles, and the dancing looks fun.”

Gables popped out from behind a few humans blocking her vision of him, giving Nova a wink and a grin. “Yo! Nice ta meet ya, Nova. You like to dance? I’ve been workin’ on my moves.”

“Oh, I’d like to learn!” Nova replied, head tilting to the left a bit with the fingers scratching her.

“Coo, coo … oh,” he gave her an apologetic look, “I’ll have to catch ya later; seems we got a match to get to.”

“Me, too,” Amber hummed, glancing between the humans. “We can talk after I win.”

Gables chuckled. “Alright, catch you two later!”

Rhea’s voice entered her mind. “Alright, we got our first match … we got a lot. Let’s see how far we can go! Just remember, don’t use any big Moves like Synchronoise.”

Yeah! Nova cheered. Are you watching Mya?

“Mhm! Throw them out of the arena!”

I’ll give it a shot! She said, pumping herself up; Rhea was a lot calmer than when she’d first stepped up to battle Lucian, which made her happy.

The humans stepped back with dissatisfied looks as Rhea told them they needed to get to their match. Nova jogged to Rhea’s side, but a hush swiftly fell across the crowd as the doors opened in the back.

Everyone slowed to a stop, and she saw a nervous edge fall upon the humans’ shoulders. Nova’s ears twitched as she glanced between faces; it was difficult to see beyond the tall humans from the floor, but the woman at the desk snapped to attention before picking up her phone to call someone.

Nova sniffed the air as a very distinct scent carried to her nose; an electric musky-ambery sensation filled her senses as the man’s odor moved toward her on the room’s circulating air current.

Hushed murmurs hastily flew through the room.

“Giovanni … here?”

“What’s the Gym Leader doing at a dump like … wait…”

“Dude, that’s Amira Rocket.”

“There’s no way…”

“Yo, Dude, it’s Giovanni!”

“A Grandmaster … here?”

Giovanni appeared from out of the crowd; a very business-like dark purple-haired woman was at his side. Rhea had spotted this woman everywhere she’d seen Amira’s grandfather; she had been at the Pallet stadium, by his side during his matches the other day, and here with him now.

The shorter hair-cut barely touching the woman’s shoulders was odd to Nova since she was used to most human females having long hair. Her purple eyes were duller than Mallory’s, passively sweeping the crowd behind the see-through glasses perched between her nose before turning her attention to the advanced-looking tablet in her left hand.

Giovanni was wearing a form-fitted, slim bluish-gray suit with a black undershirt and blue tie; his pocket square and tie were fashioned into some complex design that confused Nova.

He was much bigger than she’d initially thought at around two meters tall, and his muscular frame filled out his suit well. With a strong, well-tempered face and thick, neatly groomed jet-black hair, he was an imposing figure, but it was the Pokemon to his left that swiftly stole Nova’s attention.

The Persian beside him was massive, and Nova could tell that this Pokemon probably matched up to Franky. He didn’t say anything, but his sweeping feline eyes settled on her for a moment, moving on to Amira.

Amira had her arms folded while glaring at the infamous man. “Grandpa,” she said with a bit of exasperation. “I told you I’d text when we were ready to stop by.”

A small smile lifted Giovanni’s lips as he moved to join her by one of the arenas. “I heard you were nearby, and I was in the area.”

The redhead’s glare slid to the woman beside her grandfather. “Don’t give me that; I know Matori’s had eyes out on me. I saw the drones before coming in.”

Matori’s cool features lifted into a soft smile to look at her. “Sweetie, we were really in the area.”

“Doesn’t mean it was by accident,” Amira replied with a low sigh. “We’ve got some matches to do, and then we’ll be free.”

Mallory and Gables waved at them from the side of another arena. “Hey, Mr. Rocket!” Rhea spoke up after, which prompted Nova to do the same.

The Persian nodded toward her, voice creamy to Nova’s ears. “Greetings.”

Giovanni chuckled, voice deep and smooth as his vision moved to the girls. “Hello, Mallory, Rhea, and you can call me Giovanni if you please. I look forward to getting to know your new friends,” he said, focusing on his granddaughter again.

Matori slid her glasses up a little on her nose with an impish smile. “I forwarded the news that you were back in the city to your parents.”

Amira’s full lips tightened, giving the woman a dirty look. “I was going to let my mom and dad know after we’d settled in … thanks, Matori.”

“Oh, absolutely!” She chortled.

“... They’re on their way here, then, right?”

“Naturally.”

She seemed to suppress a sigh, and Nova continued to glance between the parties; she’d never seen a performance like this. Not one of the Trainers made a sound to interrupt as they witnessed the event; it almost felt wrong to.

“Don’t you two have a lot of business to handle?” Amira asked, shifting her weight to her right foot.

“A lot, actually,” Giovanni muttered, glancing down at his assistant. “However, much of it has been cleared since some unexpected events have cropped up. It has left me an unanticipated amount of time to work on other projects, and … the liberty to spend it with you before you depart Viridian.” He finished with a charming smile.

Nova wasn’t sure if this was normal or not for human behavior; Amira seemed somewhat annoyed by their sudden visit but wasn’t outright telling them to get lost, and her grandfather appeared to enjoy the little back and forth they were having.

“I suppose I’ll find a seat for your matches,” he prompted, glancing around at the crowd in an expectant manner that had them scurrying to pretend they were about their own business. “I’ll save a seat for your parents.”

“Great,” Amira sighed, turning to the nervous boy on the opposite side of the field from her. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Nova was a little confused as a nervous man exited the elevator, rushing to Giovanni’s side with a young woman by his side. “Grandmaster Giovanni … how—how unexpected! Umm, is there anything you need, Sir?”

Matori was the one to respond, giving the man a polite smile. “Not at this time; you are Benjamine Lockwrite, owner of this establishment?”

“Y-Yes, mam.”

“Wonderful. I believe I have your information if anything is required.”

“... Of course. I’ll be at the desk if there’s anything … at all, that you need!” He fervently insisted, bowing again with the woman before retreating.

Humans are weird.

Rhea’s nerves had increased a bit as she directed her to their own field beside Ambers. The fox gave her a smile as they passed by one another. “We’ll probably get some tasty food after this.”

“Ooh, I can’t wait!” Nova replied, salivating at the prospect. The different food she’d seen them eat had her mouth watering in her pokeball for the past few days, and Mya was eager to have her own taste of the new flavors that would grace their tongues. “Mya said she heard someone say food tastes better after a victory. Is that true, Amber?”

Amber paused before jumping onto the field, turning back with a secretive grin and a wink. “You’ll have to see.”

“Hehe, okay!”

She hummed with interest as the blue honeycomb energy shields came into place around her; the opposite Trainer’s hadn’t activated yet, possibly because he didn’t have a Pokemon on the field. Nova watched with interest as the blue shells became somewhat transparent, allowing easy sight unless an attack struck it.

I’m gonna win!

“Kick him in the face!” Mya cheered from inside her pokeball.

I can do that!

They both went silent as Rhea seemed to be debating something to herself; she didn’t know what it was since she wasn’t really sharing it with her, but it was a somewhat worrisome topic by her emotions.

The opponent threw out his pokeball as Rhea thought, piquing her interest with what her Trainer was thinking. Rhea’s voice entered her mind as the Pokemon was revealed.

“… Oh, a … Sizzlipede, I think? Fire/Bug-type, huh … umm, Nova, if you feel like you’re ready to try and transform into any of your other stages, then go ahead and give it a shot. I want to see how much one change will cost, but don’t rush into it.”

Nova didn’t feel threatened by the long, flat red insect Pokemon; in fact, its two flickering flame-like whiskers were kind of cute, but she could do without the stubby legs.

She glanced back at her Trainer with a worried expression; if there was one thing she didn’t want, it was putting Rhea into the hospital as Mya had done, and it made her hesitate a bit. She could feel the itch of some hidden power within her grasp if she tried hard to focus on the internal sensation, but Rhea wasn’t 100% yet. It would be saved for a last resort.

Only if I need to … I don’t want to hurt you.

Rhea seemed to be interpreting her message because it took her a second to respond, giving her opponent time to speak. His high-pitched voice was a bit unusual compared to other Pokemon she’d conversed with.

“Hello, my fluffy opponent; alas,” he swayed to the side, turning his head away in a sad expression, “I am doomed to the void of depression upon seeing your beauty! It pains me to battle such a lovely foe, but for my home country, we shall clash! Yes, my glamorous little Eevee; I come from a land far distant from this mountainous plane!”

Nova’s neck shifted a little with confusion as he just continued to speak.

He lifted up high into the air, twisting his body the opposite way while moving his legs in a reaching manner. “I come from a wondrous land of rolling hills and grasslands, much like your own … excluding the trees and mountains and strange new Pokemon … oh, but we have rivers!”

“Uh … ahem, hello? You … have an interesting way of speaking.” She mumbled with a forced chuckle. “What’s your name?”

“Ah, yes, yes! I am the brave, the noble, although, I am not a noble, but noble, I am!” He stated dramatically, turning his body and arms right and left with each statement.

“... Ah … eh … Noble … is your name?” Nova asked, utterly baffled at this point.

“Indeed, my lovely foe! Are you ready for the dance of flames?”

Nova shifted a little to give Rhea a questioning look; she assured her that transforming once shouldn’t be a problem, but the guy in front of her was pretty distracting. “Uh … Sure, I guess?”

“Excellent!” He laughed in a high-pitched manner before lowering himself to the ground. “We duel!”

A bright red light appeared on both sides of their field below where their Trainers stood, and Rhea confirmed the battle would start on green.

“He’s probably a physical attacker, but be careful; he might have Embers like Amber.”

Nova’s tongue slid across her sharp teeth, internally hyping herself up. Okay, I can do this! Red … yellow … go!

She darted forward but instantly changed directions as Noble sucked in a quick breath and lobbed some kind of ball out of his mouth at the ground in front of him. Black smoke exploded around him, blocking Nova’s vision of the insect.

Mya was mumbling through their link, watching through Rhea’s eyes.

“Yeah, get in … no, don’t stop! Charge!”

Their Trainer’s instructions were more noticeable, though.

“Hold-up, Smokescreen, be prepared to dodge; he’s buying time for something.”

The commentary continued in Nova’s mind, but she mostly tuned out her fellow Pokemon’s shouts and cheers.

Taking a deep breath, Nova gathered her energy for the first time to make a Move; it came so naturally to her. The power took form, and she sprayed a jet of mud from her mouth into the smoke.

The smoke shifted slightly, and a rolling mass shot out of it, aiming right for her at a decent speed, plowing right through the jet to flatten her.

“Here I come!” He shouted within his tight ball.

Cutting off her attack, Nova’s speed sharpened considerably as she disengaged from Noble, dodging to the left to miss the shot. He just maneuvered in a sweeping crescent to pursue, but she was far too fast if running away with the extra energy that flooded her legs.

The boost faded as she flipped around, gathering energy in her legs; his rollout was easily televised, which made it effortless to leap to the side at the last second, grounding herself with her two front paws. A faint red aura surrounded her back feet as she kicked back, forcing Noble out of his tight coil and into the air with a grunt.

Swiftly regaining her balance, Nova darted after the airborne foe, legs still glowing with fighting energy. Leaping into the air, she twisted her tail to position herself, shouting, “And another one!” Her left foot slapped Noble to the right with her sharp twist.

Noble’s flat body tumbled across the field, but he released a high-pitched laugh while recovering; his small arms moved quickly as he stabilized, moving to an upright position.

Nova dashed after the strange insect as the circles on his stomach began to glow, and one after another, Embers were sent out with his twisting frame.

Fireballs exploded behind her as she darted left and right around the projectiles, four vivid black fangs growing in front of her mouth as she opened her jaws to pounce on the insect. He tried to disengage, but she was slightly quicker, black energy closing around the side of his face.

The potential energy exploded, flinging the insect back, but before she could pursue, he lobbed another smokescreen down at the ground. His tone was noticeably tired, but his laugh remained the same. “Very good!” He shouted from inside the field. “Let us dance!”

“Well … this isn’t really dancing,” Nova mused, thinking back on Amber and Gables’ activities.

“Ho, ho; I disagree, my lovely!”

Nova figured he was charging for another rolling attack, so she shot forward to intercept, black fangs growing again. Sure enough, she caught him coiling into a circle, about to perform his Move. He noticed her too late.

“... Oh, no!” He shouted, and she pounced on him with a loud roar.

“Got you!”

“Ugh…” He tried scurrying away, her bite interrupting his gathered energy. “A quick retreat is…”

Her front right paw was already beginning to glow with a white force, and an instinctual knowledge flooded her brain as she focused on his retreating back, keeping pace with the insect. He didn’t have anything to steal, but the attack’s destructive force would net her the victory.

Nova’s rapid pace swiftly caught up to his retreating form, and she jumped over his back, right paw sending a rippling blow through his frame. Noble coughed as air left his lungs, defensive energy broken as he smashed into the glowing blue barrier with Mya’s savage screams of victory.

“That’s the way to do it!”

Rhea congratulated her as the Pokemon laid limp on the ground; after a second, a red beam returned him to his pokeball, and Nova puffed out her chest and roared at Mya’s prompts, but most of the humans in the stands just cooed at her fierce victory cry.

Her first win and it was actually pretty fun; although, her opponent had certainly been unique. She watched Rhea and the Trainer talk for a moment; he seemed somewhat sheepish at the loss, but not like the Kalos girls had been, and her second opponent soon took his place.

The next human was female and looked pretty excited to battle; she wore a blue dress and had her brown hair tied up in a bun. After a short greeting, she released her own Pokemon.

“Oh … a Shellos. Auntie has the next stage of this Pokemon. Be careful; even though they look cute and small, they can be a powerhouse. It’s Water-type. So, Jolteon or Leafeon would be the play here.”

… I don’t know what those are. She moaned. All I know is there’s this power I can reach for to evolve … I can only sense one right now. I think it changes, though.

Rhea seemed a little confused about her internal groans, so she let it drop; she’d have to show her after the battle. If she felt better at the end of their three daily matches, it didn’t matter much; she could practice since they’d be free from today’s daily challenges.

“Hello!” The blue female slug-like Pokemon greeted, rearing up a little to wave a stubby front foot. “I heard you’re super strong!”

“I guess,” Nova said with a pleasant smile. “I’m Nova.”

“Oh, that's a pretty name,” she returned, leaning left and right. “My Trainer calls me Kreemi.”

Nova’s eyes widened a little. “I’ve heard of that … I think it’s a food humans eat … donuts with cream in it?”

“Uh-huh! I’m sweet,” she giggled, “or that’s what my Trainer tells me.”

“That’s nice,” Nova replied, tail wagging back and forth, noticing the lights beginning to change colors. “Good luck.”

“You, too!”

Dropping back to the ground, Kreemi’s face set with determination, and the match started.

Nova leaped forward, racing toward the slow blue slug, back feet aglow with building red light after Rhea’s direction; just before reaching her opponent, Kreemi jumped into the air, spraying a jet of water to propel her back and distance herself.

Darting around the blast, Nova frowned as the slug stuck to the glowing blue shell protecting the onlookers from their attacks, inching up the bright wall while spraying bursts of water at her.

“Hey,” Nova growled, dodging the streams as Kreemi climbed out of reach, “wait, you can do that?”

Kreemi chuckled. “Gotta think outside the box!”

The Shellos sent a spray of mud down at her in a wide arc, lowering its potential damage but increasing the chance it would hit.

“Hey!” Nova growled, speed increasing as she retreated across the field. “Don’t get me dirty; I’ll look less cute!”

“That’s what you’re worried about?” Kreemi asked with an incredulous tone, sliding up to the roof to pursue her; Mya was also releasing an exasperated sigh from within her pokeball, but she really didn’t want to get dirty.

She grimaced at the wet and muddy side of the battlefield with distaste. Rhea gave her an option, but Nova wanted to end it in one blow to not soil her lovely fur.

Taking a deep breath, Nova gathered the energy in her lungs and released a soft yawn while hopping to the side to avoid another jet of water. The targeted attack of mist that exited her mouth slowly floated toward the confused Shellos, but the visible puff of air followed the blue slug’s movements. It would fade if she managed to dodge for a certain amount of time, but she was too slow on the ceiling.

“W-What is it?” Kreemi asked, crawling away.

Nova smugly charged her next Move, releasing a growl that sent a wide shockwave toward the Pokemon. “You’ll see; shouldn’t have tried to get me dirty!” She huffed, rushing at her opponent as the mist absorbed into her body with the wide pulse.

Kreemi made it to the edge of the field before it struck, causing her eyes to droop a little. “H-Hey … w-why do I feel … why do I feel so sleepy?” She yawned, trying to fire another jet of water at her.

Running to the side, Nova outpaced the attack, tail starting to glow with white light. Kreemi slowly unstuck from the ceiling, falling to the ground as she drifted off to sleep with another low yawn. “N-No … stay … stay awake … s-stupid mind…”

Nova reached the falling blue slug before she touched the ground, flipping around to whip the girl across the field, back toward her side, and away from the mud. The small Shellos limply tumbled across the ground, now minus-two Defense.

A triumphant smile brightened Nova’s lips as she charged her big attack with Mya, Rhea, and the whole crowd cheering her on; white energy gathered around her front right paw as she zeroed in on the blue slug. She caught a sad smile on her Trainer’s face, probably hoping she’d wake up before the strike came; she didn’t.

Dashing forward, Nova focused on the little Pokemon, finding no hidden item she could snatch on her body; her paw smacked the Shellos across the field, back into her own mud, her defensive energy shell broken, and strength flooded her body.

Turning back to the shouting thong with the burning sensation of powering up, she released another ferocious roar that put smiles and brought giggles to the humans, and Nova caught a small smile on Giovanni’s Persian beside the arena next to theirs.

He was watching, too! Yes, I am cute and unbeatable!

Her chest filled with pride as the Trainer returned Kreemi to her pokeball, asking Rhea how she thought she did. Rhea was encouraging, talking about the wall-sticking strategy, but Nova was now focused on Amber’s battles. The Fennekin was chuckling as the opponent did backflips, in some kind of trance, and shortly after, sent him packing with an Ember.

She was a little surprised when the field deactivated; Amber and Amira seemed to have already beaten their three challengers while she still had one left. Nova’s cheeks bunched to the side at the news.

I’m the slow one? What about Gables?

Running to the opposite side of the ring, she found a spot between the crowd to see Gables pop out of thin air to finish his third opponent with a charged punch.

I am the last one! No … I gotta look good in this next one, then…

Her gaze shifted back to the opposite side of the field, brow creasing as all the barriers dropped and a cleaning crew of Pokemon she didn’t know dashed in to swiftly remove the mud, replacing it with dry dirt before packing it down with some kind of ability that made the ground shake in small controlled areas.

She watched the rocky Pokemon curiously while Rhea talked to a boy, probably their next challenger. Nova’s head darted to her Trainer as an embarrassed flash passed through their link, and Rhea forced a chuckle.

What’s up, Mya?

“Oh, he said he’s a fan of us. He’s glad Rhea chose him as the last match of the day. Apparently, he’s got a pretty good battle record.”

Oh … so, his Pokemon’s strong?

“I mean, probably not all that much,” Mya snickered. “You’re doing really good. You’ll just steamroll this one, too … really, though…”

What? Nova asked defensively.

“... You actually ran away because you didn’t want to get dirty?”

I don’t! I have white fur, and I’ve seen what mud does to Amber’s!

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” Mya mused with unmistakable sarcasm. “What’s up with the cute thing, though? You want to be fierce! You want to make them scared of you; yell and make them run away!”

Nu-uh! Nova countered with a frown, following the clean-up crew’s exit with her eyes and the excited crowd pointing at her. See, they love me! I’m cute, and they give me attention, and one said he wants to give me treats!

“Boring…”

No, tasty!

“Whatever … uh, guess they’re getting ready for the next match … mud.”

It’s nice they cleaned up the field. Nova smiled; there were a few notable wet spots still, but at least it wasn’t nearly as bad. Wait … do we need to pay for that?

“Duh…”

Mmh … it’s worth it. Nova grinned, noticing Giovanni’s Persian, Amber, and Gables moving areas to watch her. Oh, I’m the center of attention, Mya! Look! Everyone wants to see me win.

“...”

Nova cheerfully turned her attention to the male Trainer as he threw out her final opponent, causing her forehead to crease a little at Rhea’s reaction to their new foe.

“Glameow … they’re really fast. This might be hard, Nova. Watch him carefully.”

She didn’t know what the big deal was; he was a little smaller than her with an absurdly long tail that coiled around in a loop. Honestly, she had to admit he wasn’t bad looking, and his voice was charmingly smooth.

“Ah, Nova, I assume?” His cat-like smile and eyes flicked left and right to observe the growing crowd. “Mmh, seems we’ll have to put on quite the show, my dear, and might I say, you look absolutely ravishing in that coat.”

“Thanks!” Nova returned the smile, puffing up her chest; she had yet to receive a single hit. There were a few close calls, but she was just as glamorous as when she first stepped foot in the ring. “What’s your name?”

“Alaric, my dear. It’s a pleasure.”

Nova was a little taken by his polite and smooth introduction; Amber and Gables were smiling while glancing between them, and both of them didn’t seem to take much damage from their matches.

“You ready to fight, Alaric?” Nova asked, licking her lips and getting ready to dash at him.

“Oh, by all means.”

Red, yellow, green, and the battle started.

Nova dashed forward; if he was supposed to be fast, she’d show she was faster! He was different from the other two Pokemon she’d faced. Nova could tell that, but it didn’t matter; she was built for battle.

A small smile moved Alaric’s mouth with her swift approach for an enhanced Tackle, but Nova was a little confused as he looked at Amber and gave her a wink, almost as if she wasn’t even worth his attention.

Dismay and anger filled her chest. The nerve; I’m attacking him!

His smirk lifted as his gaze returned to her, lifting up on his hind legs to clap his hands. “What a shame.”

What’s a…

Nova’s mind blanked, energy collapsing with the white force she was generating in front of her, and she tripped, rolling across the dirt. The next thing she knew, something smashed into the side of her face, sending her tumbling across the field.

… What … did he do to me?

Two massive chunks of her defensive shell were carved out of her, and Nova’s jaw tightened as she flipped back to her feet, Mya screaming in her mind with Rhea’s worried voice. “Dodge left!”

She tried, vision refocusing to search for the sly cat, but all she saw was a glowing ball of white that slammed into her side, forcing the air out of Nova’s lungs while throwing her into the shield by Amber.

The concerned Fennekin’s voice mirrored Rhea and Mya’s. “Get some distance.”

I’m … losing? I’m not supposed to lose! That’s not cute!

“He’ll use Quick Attack again, Nova; you can’t escape it. You have to stop him before he uses it!” Rhea explained.

Nova instinctively darted across the edge of the field, speed increasing as she retreated, and she caught Aleric’s paw barely missing her tail with three long white claws of energy ripping the dirt up where she’d stood.

Aleric was hot in pursuit, keeping pace with her while a white force started gathering around his body.

How … I can’t pull too much energy from you!?

“Try to evolve!”

Nova’s gut tightened as stress pumped through her body. She didn’t like this feeling; she didn’t want to lose; she wasn’t supposed to. Jaw tight, Nova reached for the power within her, the only one available.

An explosive strength flooded her body as she pulled more energy from Rhea than her last two battles combined, and a brilliant glow radiated out of her body; Aleric’s own frame illuminated with blazing light, and he blasted toward her.

The world grew smaller as Nova grew, and the moment he impacted, they were both sent blasting apart, but Nova didn’t sense any loss to her defensive pool of energy; her transformation had acted as a barrier.

Flipping around in the air, she smiled while doing a quick scan of her new form; she retained her black and white theme, but the end of her long human-like bangs now adorning her head was light blue. Her transformation had caused a wave of gasps to fill the sides of the arena, and a flood of instinctual information filled her mind.

“Glaceon! Nova, you’re so cute!” Rhea cheered. “Watch out for him…”

A flash sparkled in Nova’s pink eyes, and she sensed the exact trajectory and Move Aleric used while seeking to end the match. Without looking, Nova smiled, jumping at the last second to flip in the air in a flourish.

The surprised Glameow rocketed below her with a shocked expression as she opened her mouth, gathering the most natural Move that came to her, releasing a gale of frigid wind that blew the Pokemon away, ice trailing along her trajectory.

Mist frothed off the frozen ground as Aleric recovered, ice falling off his now ruffled fur; he was no longer calm and collected, glaring at her with a serious expression. “How … unexpected.”

Nova felt invincible as she smiled down at him from across the field, over twice his size, and she played with her two long locks that could be stiffened into sword-like blades. They were easily maneuverable; she could grab someone with them, and her broad tail could bat the cat Pokemon away if she wished.

Her strength, defense, and even her speed felt slightly better; everything improved. The white fur she was so proud of had turned black with her paws, tail blade, crown, back pattern, and inner ears now white.

Giving Aleric a confident smirk, her eyes narrowed. “Let’s go!”

Taking a deep breath, she sent streams of frigid air across the field; the Glameow managed to barely dodge her sharp gales, but Nova swiftly cut off his escape, trapping him in a corner. He’d slip on the ice if he tried to run anywhere else.

With one last defiant charge, he’d gathered enough energy to launch another Quick Attack at her, and she released a hail of ice from her mouth; he leaped into the air at the edge of her ice, taking to the air with his insane speed, but she was too far away. He tried cutting through her Icy Wind, but it was far too powerful.

The two energy met, and the moment his Move failed, her ice shredded the last of his defensive shell, sending the knocked-out Pokemon tumbling across the now partially iced over battlefield, and she turned to give a cheer to the crowd’s wild clamor, showering her with love.

I did it!

“You were amazing!” Mya shouted.

Rhea followed with praise. “That was awesome; I really felt the energy drain, but it’s manageable!”

Yes; so, I can practice!

Now in heaven, Nova felt like nothing could stop her, and she began prancing around enthusiastically, gobbling up the crowd’s energy.