10:54 A.M June 26, Friday, 106 PH (Post Hoopa Event)

Events: The Preliminaries for the Joint Kanto and Johto Indigo Summer League have concluded; 105 Trainers and their Pokemon have advanced from Bronze to Silver. The celebrations finish tomorrow when the Summer Round Robin Cup will begin, to crown the best of each Tier among those that advanced. Rhea started her journey on the 9th of June—she’s been a Trainer for 18 Days (17 Officially;18 since getting Maya and Nova).

Serenity watched Rhea calm Mallory down, teaching her how to use the human devices that allowed them to travel by water. She wasn’t entirely sure why the girl was freaking out so much; water was supposed to be Serenity’s home, and the other Pokemon in the fountain had nothing but positive things to say about the river.

Of course, Amber was acting tough on the outside, but her spirit was practically quaking while pressing as close as possible to their Trainer.

Hovering above the water, Serenity closed the distance to stare down at her teammate. Stay strong, Amber. It’s not that scary.

The fire fox had been a pillar of confidence and helped her adjust to this world when she first exited her egg; it was Serenity’s turn to be there for her.

“I’m fine … I just … Oh, no … please don’t rock the boat, Amira!” she cried, falling to her belly to hug their Trainer’s leg. “Contrary to what you might believe, Fire Pokemon aren’t naturally good swimmers!”

Amira reached over to rub Amber’s pulled-back ears with a soft smile. “He-he-he, I know you’re frightened. Serenity is here to help us if needed; this is a good exercise for putting your faith in her.”

Holly cheered. “Yeah! We’re totally going to have so much fun! Star and I tried to float down a river once, and I totally saved him!”

“Uh … not helping, Holly … I’d rather not need saving…” Amber mumbled.

Don’t worry about a thing, Amber! Serenity piped in, rising a little to get a better look at the Pokemon. I got some swimming lessons from the fountain Pokemon, and they said I was pretty fast.

“Ooh!” Holly clapped her little hands in her pokeball. “You’re working so hard!”

Amber didn’t seem all that convinced. “Great … I’m just … I’d rather not get too wet! Maybe I should have a life jacket, too…”

That’s not trusting in me, Serenity mumbled, flippers falling a little. I haven’t had a chance to battle yet, but I’m strong; I can help you.

“I mean, Amira has a life jacket … It’s not about that … Humans use them, and maybe there are some for Pokemon…”

Amira glanced down at Amber, who was doing her best to compose herself again. “Do you … Hmm, sadly, with how many sizes of Pokemon, we’d have to have one specially made for you. Sorry, Amber.”

“N-No problem,” she quickly added. “Just a thought…”

Serenity tried to cheer the Fennekin up, and she was building her confidence the more time they spent in the boat; Rhea’s own comforting words to Mallory appeared to help Amber, too. Holly was the fox’s little cheerleader.

Gables stood on the nose of Mallory’s kayak, cheering her on with Roxie, a bundle of joy, following his example; the Rockruff didn’t appear scared in the least, standing next to Gables to practice balancing, and Alice, who seemed to be taking the training incredibly seriously, obviously determined to prove herself to Rhea over Maya.

Her focus returned to Amber as she tentatively built the courage to leave Amira’s leg and put her paws on the side to look down at the gleaming teal water. “S-Serenity?”

Mhm? she asked, moving to look up at her.

“You’re … If I fall in, you’ll be close by?”

Of course! Just call, and I’ll come running to carry you back to Amira.

“What if a Pokemon shoots water at me?”

Amira reached under her chin to scratch it with her fingernail. “If a Water Pokemon attacks us, then you return to your pokeball and leave it to Holly and Serenity. How about we look at getting you a custom vest in Cerulean City and have some swimming lessons?”

Serenity’s face didn’t change, but her heart warmed as Amber hugged Amira’s spirit. “Thank you! I’m just … I’m gonna do my best!”

“Me, too!” Holly chimed, wrapping around the two’s spirits to squeeze them. “Let’s beat this river battle! Oh, what are you going to do, Serenity?”

Explore! A grin lifted her heart, unable to show emotion on the outside. I’m still confused why I can’t help you do your thing, Amira.

The red-haired girl glanced over to Mallory and Rhea as they moved on to actually pushing away from the dock; there was an apprehensive determination in her chest. “I … need to do this myself, but … It’ll be nice to have you there with Rhea. I just need to know where my mom went whenever we came here, and … and I think I can do it now.”

Holly hummed, spinning around Amber and Amira’s spirit. “I want to come, too.”

“We can all go,” Amber said, snuggling into their Trainer for comfort again. “We just need to be in our pokeballs since we can’t breathe underwater for a long time like them.”

Amira readjusted herself on her seat, causing Amber to groan a little as the boat swayed, but she’d need to get used to it as they went along. “Yeah, I’ll take you three with me … My mom just always had this mysterious look whenever she’d slip away, and … All she did as a teenager was explore with her Pokemon.”

Serenity settled in on the kayak’s front to listen in; Amira had talked a lot about her mother last night. Lyra and her would take personal trips all across Kanto, and every time, her mother would leave an unsolved mystery that would pester her Trainer to no end while sharing little details to spur her imagination.

A reminiscent smile lifted Amira’s full lips as she passively stroked Amber’s fur; Mallory and Rhea were moving on to how to use the paddles, giving Amira time to calm her racing heart.

“My mom always took me down different routes, but somehow, we always ended up in the same flat stone rock; it had enough trees on it that provided deadwood for a fire, and a perfect view of the night sky with the lapping waves of the river and wild Pokemon around us.”

Holly settled in herself. “Wow … you said she never spoiled things, too, but just showed you places to check out someday with us?”

A quake shook Amira’s chest as she softly giggled. “Yeah, Mom would never tell me the secrets, but guide me in the right direction … for my future journey with all of you.”

How sweet, Serenity whispered. It sounds like she always likes to have fun.

Amira suppressed a snort, shaking her head. “My mom’s always restless … unless it involves fake sleeping on my dad’s shoulders,” she snickered. “She could dance in the middle of a forest fire while putting it out with her Pokemon—all as my dad freaked out … Heh, not that she’s good at dancing, and still manages to make me jealous I wasn’t there … She’s always talking about finding treasure.”

A hiss puffed through her teeth as she thought about her mother and father. “My poor dad … Grandma tells me how innocent he was, but my mom is adrenaline incarnate. There’s no beating her, and he became a Stantler in the headlights. She’s the biggest tease to me and Dad, and I swear, my mother is the reason Ethan and Kris are the way they are today.”

Who are they? Serenity asked, finding hidden fondness in Amira’s heart upon mentioning the pair.

Holly jumped in with excitement. “Ooh! Yeah, you mentioned them before, Amira! You like them!”

Amira fidgetted with her paddle, glaring at the water. “I don’t know if I’d go so far as that … At least, from what I think you guys are saying.”

A forced chuckle moved Amber to crouch in the boat again. “She has a hard time expressing her feelings when it comes to them.”

“Really, Amber?” Amira grumbled, tapping the side of the kayak while leaning back; Mallory and Rhea seemed far too occupied with the girl’s shaky movements to notice. “I told you about last year’s friends and family gathering … The dress my mom crafted for Kris?”

Amber pressed her back against Amira’s leg for leverage. “You’ve shown me; it didn’t look that bad.”

Can I see? Serenity asked, hovering closer as Holly did the same internally.

“Oh, me, too again, please! I thought it was pretty!”

Checking the struggling pair across from her, Amira sighed and pulled out her phone to show the image. Serenity thought humans wore strange outfits, but this seemed like something girls would wear at Contests.

According to Amber’s description, it was a black halterneck Caroline dress that had an open, semi-sheer back with an R and red frill that obscured part of her shins. Kris wore a black semi-sheer cap, white heels, and sheer tights. She was facing away, which showed off the neat black bow tied around her waist.

“C’mon, Amira,” Amber laughed, trying to distract herself from the body of water surrounding them. “The reason you took the picture was that you liked it.”

“Ugh … sure,” she mumbled, flipping to the next image, “but she was totally cool with Ethan dressing like … like a thug! He had cuts and bruises from some fight he had with a Machamp … that he fought himself! He’s insane; it just made me so mad. Kris lets my mom bully her around, and Ethan doesn’t even try to look good for his wife; of course, she just laughs and starts patching him up!”

Her head fell, hiding a groan in case the others misinterpreted it. “Maybe I’m just thinking about a ton of bad things to make me scared to do this … It’s the first thing I’m looking into that my mom teased … Arceus, but when they get together with Red, Leaf, and Blue … it’s chaos! My mom looks up to Leaf … Ethan can’t get enough of fighting Blue and Red … It’s insane! Two minutes, and they’re already flying off to Mukin’ Mt. Silver to have their private little time…”

Serenity finally understood where her anger was coming from; she was left behind when certain people got together, and she wasn’t used to being left out.

The conversation soon died when Mallory came into view, and they began listening to Rhea’s encouraging prompts, guiding the girl’s first, shaky paddling attempts.

“... That’s it!” Rhea encouraged. “You just need to keep it even, and … see?”

A strained grin was on the frightened girl’s face. “I-I’m getting the hang of it … Woah … okay, slower … slower,” she mumbled while rocking a bit.

Amira took a long breath, trying to release her tension.

Holly whispered, “Psst, Amber says Amira really loves it when the others show up because it makes her Mom and Dad happy. I’d be happy too if I didn’t see Star for a long time.”

Hmm … Amira has a hard time showing her emotions? Serenity asked, weaving through the air to follow the two, helping Mallory get closer to the exit. She’s so open with us, though?

“That’s just how it is…” Amber shivered, keeping herself as low as possible in the kayak.

Humans are strange…

A thrilling pulse ran through Serenity’s bones as it became clear they were going out on the river; this was the moment she’d been dreaming about since talking with Gables about large bodies of water.

The Frog Pokemon was making swaying gestures with his arms to help direct Mallory, but Rhea was doing most of the work by towing her along at this point, and Roxie had moved to snuggle into the girl’s lap to give Lori extra comfort.

Nova was leaning over the side to study the surface, wagging her tail while giggling to herself. “Look, Alice, I can see myself!”

“Yeah!” The Rabbit Pokemon was doing flips and balancing on one foot. “I see myself jumping around, too! Oh, let’s have a jumping contest!”

Letting the thrill roll around her belly, Serenity dove under the soft waves as they exited the sheltered dock; smooth liquid flowed past her sides while diving deeper into the wide gorge and a whole new world opened up before her eyes.

Veins of sunlight danced across the clear water, perfectly visible to Serenity’s eyes, and dozens of various types of Pokemon and large schools of fish hurried along while occasionally being chased. The rocks were smooth, and many almost seemed to meld together, fitting perfectly into different patterns.

She lost herself in the beauty of it all; plants and algae grew across the bottom, swaying in the soft current that pulled them to the east.

The voices of hundreds of Pokemon spread out across the city’s canal carried through the water, forcing Serenity to try and focus her thoughts on who to listen to. Amira went over many Pokemon they’d likely find in the area, but it was still a bit overwhelming.

Magikarp swam in schools, showing off various colors and sizes that made each unique; her Trainer told her that there was even a catching contest in Kanto to see who could attract the best Magikarp. From what she’d been told, it was a big thing in the Magikarp community, and it held bragging rights that carried throughout Kanto, Johto, and even as far north as Sinnoh.

Slowly weaving underneath Amira’s kayak, Serenity lost track of everything above while taking in the alien world; it was like listening to Umi, the Clefairy, tell stories that her father had told her when she was young.

A place of wonder where different plants, wildlife, and even Pokemon that weren’t native to this world were on this other planet; the Clefairy Empire spanned the entire globe, ruled by the Fairy Queen.

No one from Umi’s family was of noble enough blood to see such dignitaries, which the humans didn’t like, but it all sounded so magical to Serenity. The Fairy Queen protected them from the horrible sky terrors, which came with wings, horns, and powerful attacks that devastated their homes; even if the Clefairy Royal Guard were strong, the damage took years to repair.

Another planet was locked in combat with the Clefairy Empire and the Sky Terrors; even with the Fairy Pokemon’s advanced technology and mighty warriors, these creatures were like walls of stamina that could outlast their assaults.

Battles and bodies littering the planet’s orbit. It sounded like a place where she could get strong, and to protect one’s home was essential to Serenity because her Trainer was her home.

However, unlike the warring place of struggle and death, this environment was slow and peaceful—excluding the chasing of fish, yet Amira told her it was the natural cycle of things. Pokemon have been known to go after each other for nutrients if no other source was in the area, such as what happened on Mt. Silver.

Serenity spun in a circle, watching two Gyarados weave through the water; they were the Bosses of this city's waters that kept the peace.

The male’s sharp red eyes darted to her as they passed, creaking ripples on the surface while releasing a low growl. “Be mindful of others, little one.”

She could sense they were strong with the Intimidation they produced; the male was at least 10 meters long while the female was closer to 9. Following their swift exit, Serenity couldn’t help but gawk at their shimmering scales.

Rivers have a lot of dangerous Pokemon in them … I have to be careful and watch out for everyone…

Gables soon jumped into the water to join her. “Yo!” he grinned, casually swimming backward to stare up at the kayaks overhead. “Sorry ta keep ya waitin’! I saw those big Pokemon go by; eh, freaked Mallory out … Heh, she almost tipped her boat.”

“Is she okay?” Serenity asked. Noticing the eyes they were pulling, but a small group of kayakers were coming from further up the river, which drew the whispers of the Pokemon around them. “Oh … they’re already gone.”

The Frog nodded. “Yeah, they were movin’! Uh, mhm, she’s good.” He gave her a thumbs up. “Seeing Amira be so cool is helping her keep a level head,”

On the inside, her Trainer was a hot mess; Amira was still trying to come up with a half-excuse to tell the others they should just go the regular route. Listening to some of her inner turmoil, Serenity felt a little bad.

“What if I read too much into Mom’s jokes and teasing comments … What if I’m hyping it up for nothing, and I’m disappointed? There has to be something cool and exciting … It’s what she lives for. She’s been to every Region, including that crazy isolationist one, so … so there’s got to be something there … Why else would we always go to this spot? She even texted me about taking pictures today so she could share the experience with me…”

Amira kept second-guessing herself; she didn’t want to feel disappointed in the hype because she didn’t want to feel disappointed in her mother. It was a silly fear but real to her.

Holly was a comforting blanket around her spirit. “It’ll be fun! I know it; your mom is the best—even Rhea agrees!”

Allowing Holly to deal with their Trainer’s emotional struggle and Amber coping with her own, Serenity returned her gaze to the river. “Is it like this everywhere?”

Gables lifted an eye, changing his stroke. “Eh … kind of, but I mean, everywhere’s got its differences. I can’t say I saw a Gyarados in the pond I was put into after hatching—the Professors think we should have like half-and-half; we spend a bit of time in the wild and among other Trainer Pokemon before meeting our Trainers.”

“Sounds … interesting,” Serenity whispered, listening to the conversations they passed.

Psyduck floated near the surface in small clusters, mumbling to one another while completely ignoring them; the group comprised two females and eight males.

“Weather’s gonna get bad tonight…”

“Ugh … I’ve already got a headache. Go get me fish…”

“I’ve got a headache, too … You go.”

“I’m not hungry…”

“Me either.”

“Want to spin in circles?”

“Too much effort…”

“Maybe the Squirtles will play catch the ball over us again?”

“That’d be nice … I like to follow it.”

“Better than counting clouds.”

“I have two.”

“No, I have eight.”

“Wow … I lost count.”

“Want to make one of us fly?”

“Oh … fly to get fish?”

“Okay…”

Weird Pokemon…

Serenity took note of it to tell her Trainer of the changing weather later, passively watching the Psyducks eyes glow with their bodies before sending one to collect fish for everyone.

“I’m so fast my headache is gone!” she laughed, zipping around the pond in a very inefficient way to collect fish as they scattered, instead just using another Move to gather them beside her.

“So strange…” Serenity mumbled, turning her focus to a bunch of Goldeen who were eyeing them with dull eyes. Her mood soon dampened as they passed, watching the bubbles lift around them from the stirred-up water of the two Boss Pokemon.

“She’s ugly, Goldeen.”

“She really is, Goldeen.”

“Goldeen,” another waved her flipper at Gable’s critical stare. “He’s cute.”

“I’m cuter,” said a male, darting out to do a flip that didn’t impress the girls.

“No, I’m cuter!”

Serenity huffed, watching the showy Pokemon try and look cool. “Personally, I think you’re all quite below average.”

Gables snickered, reaching a hand over for Serenity to slap it; he’d shown her various comebacks to say whenever the wild Pokemon would get mouthy. She was surprised to learn many Pokemon were jealous of Trainer bound Pokemon because it made them feel inferior, at least, those that lived near human settlements.

“Says the black speckle muncher,” another girl sniffed.

The women turned their butts to them and flicked their tails, clearly upset Gables was siding with her before moving upriver with their horns held high.

“What do these kids know,” one grunted.

“Yeah, Goldeen, we’re so much more popular than them.”

Two Goldeen rushed forward, causing Serenity and Gables to prepare themselves, but they simply performed big circles around them, shouting, “Ugly! Ugly! Ugly!”

Gables chuckled, swimming with his hands behind his head while kicking back. “Hmm … Serenity, is it just me, or are these guys Muk sippers … How else did they get that ugly yellow tint?”

“Definitely Muk sippers,” Serenity replied, trying to give them a smirk, but her face wouldn’t change. “Would Garbodor kiss them?”

“Huh?” One Fish Pokemon shot forward with his horn brandished but froze as a low groan rippled through the water. The two Goldeen turned to find a Poliwhirl rubbing his head while getting up from the side of a rock with a small crowd of female Poliwag. “Mmh … I’d watch where you’re pointin’ that kids … Don’t need to be causin’ trouble ya can’t handle.”

The two Goldeen glared at him before turning it to Gables. “We better not find you upstream!”

“Oh? Come on downstream, and we’ll see how well you can dance, or … are you scared? Don’t want to embarrass yourselves again in front of the ugly Goldeen, right?”

Their eyes were as sharp as their horns. “Let’s go, Goldeen…”

“Yeah, they’re not worth it,” he grunted, flicking his tail in a rude gesture and speeding off to join their little gang.

“Don’t let us catch you downstream!” Serenity liltingly called after them. “Wouldn’t want to make your faces uglier!”

The Poliwhirl chuckled, stretching a bit to push off his rock. “Be back later, girls…”

His exit left the group groaning.

Pulling up beside them to join their pace, he looked up at Amira overhead. “So, some new Trainers, huh? Bronze-tier … Although you, my odd lady, don’t seem to match the bill,” he mused, turning to rub his belly thoughtfully.

Serenity wasn’t sure if he was insulting her or not, turning to Gables for answers. “Am I odd?”

Gables rubbed his chin with a slight smirk. “Hmm … You’re one of the enforcers around here? Seems everyone’s staying clear of us now that you’ve shown up. Oh, and I think he’s talking about how strong you are, Serenity.”

“Indeed!” The Poliwhirl spun to give a wry smile at the various groups of Poliwag, Goldeen, Staryu, Squirtle, and a single Piplup that was surrounded by Magikarp. The fish kept a wide distance from any Pokemon, ready to dash away at a moment's notice or hide in the rocks or plants below. “We like to keep a friendly environment here; the humans keep things clean, and anything strong that tries to make its way down the river to upset things gets handled by them. This is paradise, baby!”

He pointed at the fish. “We got as much food as we want, and if we’re feelin’ like a treat, we can always go up for the humans to spoil us. Isn’t it great? We’ve tamed the humans.”

“Huh … interesting way to look at it,” Gables mumbled, glancing up. “One second … Mallory’s freaking out again because the wind’s picking up.”

Serenity noticed they were leaving the city boundary and heading into the deeper parts of the gorge. “So … I’m odd because of … why?” she asked, looking at the swirly Pokemon.

He studied her for a moment, eyes showing a bit of mirth. “You’ve got power, girl, and I wouldn’t really say you're ugly … I’ve seen other Feebas come through with one or two Trainers, and you’ve gotta be the prettiest of the lot.”

Her mood instantly brightened. “Oh? That’s nice of you to say. You’re the first wild Pokemon to not call me names.”

“I’ve been around,” he said in a dismissive voice. “Hmm … so, mind if I accompany you? I like to hear stories about where Pokemon and their Trainers come from. It’s probably the most fun you can have on this river,” he chuckled.

Serenity sighed, looking up at the boat where Amira was. “I … only hatched a little bit ago, so…”

He grinned. “You do look young, heh, but I guess I’m not really seeing it because of the strength I sense in you. Uh … I could keep you company and tell you about this place if you want? I’ve got all day.”

He’s so friendly!

“Sure!” Serenity chimed. “I think…”

She trailed off as something fell into the water; all she saw was a black and white Glaceon that started swimming next to Rhea’s kayak.

“A … friend of yours?” the Poliwhirl asked. “She’s super pretty, but … that movement is going to tire her out real fast.”

“Yeah … That’s Nova,” Serenity smiled, listening to Amber’s one-sided conversation with Nova since she couldn’t hear the Glaceon’s responses.

“You couldn’t turn into a Vaporeon? Hmm … Sorry to hear that! Keep trying; maybe you’ll get it if you practice more! Woah, did Alice flip onto your back and then back onto the kayak? She was so fast…”

Turning back to the Poliwhirl, Serenity corrected her tail posture a bit. “She’s learning. Umm, sure, I’d like the company.”

Serenity was happy to have the older Pokemon show her the various locations and make comments about the areas or paths. Gables showed up after calming Mallory down and got into the conversation.

The area wasn’t always so peaceful; twenty years ago, the place was filled with competition, but over the years, the humans and Rangers helped to make peace between the different river bosses, which turned much of their former lifestyle on its head.

There were still the young upstarts that dreamed of the glory days they heard from their elders; the battles, glory, and scars they showed were like a badge of honor.

Hours passed with the Pokemon talking about each area’s main faction and how temperamental each was; the Croconaw inlet was a place where wild Pokemon still held minor strength competitions. Remoraid could be aggressive in their packs but mostly kept to themselves.

However, when they turned down a side branch that showed more choppy waters, their guide halted. “Uh … You know that’s not a safe territory, right?”

“It’s not?” Gables asked, rubbing his head and following his gaze as Amira led them inside. “Is it dangerous?”

Poliwhirl hissed, blowing bubbles to the service. “Not even the Big Bosses go there … I don’t know, but if Pokemon go in, they don’t come back, which … could mean a lot of things! I’m just saying it’s the sketchiest path your Trainers are taking … I’m good to stay here.”

Serenity sent the warning to Amira, but she waved it off. “It’s fine … the Cloyster here might be a little scary, but he knows me…”

Leaving the concerned Poliwhirl behind with a parting wave, she frowned at his goodbye. “Uh … you know the Rangers are gonna know you went down there … Those Magikarp are going to warn them.”

Amira, the Magikarp are going to rat on us…

“It’s fine; we’ll be there before they can catch up, and they’ll see we aren’t in danger. We’re heading on a Platinum route.”

Feeling the pressure hit her chest at the news, Serenity kept her senses sharp, scanning for danger to intercept. Are you sure? The Poliwhirl seemed pretty scared.

“We’re fine … He likes certain poke blocks. We’re going to pick up our pace a bit; watch Mallory…”

The water’s speed was increasing as they went on.