9:14 A.M. June 27, Saturday, 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 day has come for the Summer Round Robin Cup, where the top of Kanto and Johto’s advancing Trainers will compete to be named Seasonal Best. Rhea started her journey on the 9th of June—she’s been a Trainer for 19 Days (18 Officially; 19 since getting Maya and Nova).

Rhea groaned, stretching out a little; she hesitated when Amira hummed next to her, slow, hot puffs of air pressing against her ear. The redhead was sleeping on her side, a peaceful look on her soft complexion as Holly loosely cuddled around her neck.

Nova and Alice stirred in their own sections of the covers while Rhea smacked her lips and rubbed her eyes, head tilting against her squishy pillow to peer at the window; someone had come in during the night and layered another blanket on them, likely to make up for Mallory’s restless movements that stole most of it before throwing it off the bed.

As could be expected, her puffy black and white Eevee was underneath the blankets, nestled between her legs, paws clamped around her left shin as if someone was going to whisk her away in the night, likely thinking ‘not on my watch.’

Alice had taken a different position than usual, snuggling between her breasts, which had prevented her from rolling onto her side, yet it hadn't appeared to hamper Rhea’s sleep because, judging by the light peeking through the drawn heavy curtains blocking out the morning, she’d slept in.

The Buneary rustled a bit as Rhea took a deep breath and let it out, blinking a few times and carefully brushing away the sleep from her eyes; it soon progressed to a yawn, and she suppressed as much noise as she could while clearing her throat.

“Hmm…” Rhea shifted a tad, getting in a more comfortable position. Wow, yesterday was insane … It started out so good, too. Well, I guess that odd meeting with Malia and her brother’s Articuno story…

A gear suddenly clicked into place, and a rueful smile creased her lips. What are the odds, huh? Malia asks me for advice to get her brother to stay clear of a dangerous Articuno, and we find an Articuno nest not that far away from Mt. Moon. Crazy…

She let her mind wander while waking up, going over everything that had happened since the start of her journey. It was a bit unbelievable to think about, but she’d only been a Trainer for three weeks—not even that, nineteen days now.

Wow … How much has happened? I’ve made so many new friends … heh, we almost were killed by a Nidorino. We saved Tera and that area from that tyrannical Pokemon, we healed her and saw Ho-Oh—yeah, that was awesome.

There was that weird Psychic woman that Lyra scared the Litwick out of … Oh, Entei was gorgeous … Eh, dashing … gallant? Since he’s a guy, heh, would he like being called gorgeous? Whoa … I’ve seen three Legendaries since my journey started, but I guess everyone saw Ho-Oh. So cool…

She reached up to absently scratch the base of Alice’s ears, causing the bunny to chirp and nuzzle further into her fingers. Mya was utterly passed out, and Rhea had the internal image of her big, open mouth lolling open while resting against her spirit.

A lot of things have happened…

Tilting her head against the pillow, she watched Amira’s side of the blanket rustle a bit as Amber slowly inched up to poke her head out and look at her; at least the Fire Fox was up. Rhea watched as she settled down, turning her gaze to her Trainer, red eyes showing concern.

Rhea consciously adjusted her long blonde braid to the side, releasing a sad sigh. “Mhm, I know,” she whispered. “Amira’s too hard on herself … We should try to cheer her up today.”

Amber’s face softened with relief, visually thanking her, but Rhea understood why the Rocket girl was beating herself up—she couldn’t be sure she wouldn’t be doing the same thing in her shoes.

Amira was very critical about her own actions, and over the past few weeks, Rhea noticed she put up walls with most people. The redhead had let her guard down a few times, pulling out a cuter inner-teen, such as when they learned about the extraterrestrial Clefairy or small fractures in her shell when with her mom.

Nineteen days … We’ve done a Contest, Trained in Viridian, made new friends, and had our first Gym battle. So many memories and experiences in such a short amount of time.

Relaxing a bit, a tiny smile lifted her eyes while staring up at the ceiling. Yeah, yesterday was tough … freezing to the bone, stuck in the middle of a fight to the death … so many things, yet the amount of joy I’ve had since starting is just … it’s just overwhelming.

Hearing some movement in the hallway, Rhea figured it was time to get up, sending an internal prompt to Nova and Alice.

Nova yawned, stretching out against her leg and mumbling that she was up; Alice did the same atop her chest, flopping to her back and pushing up to arch her back before plopping down. After a second, she got up, smiled at her, saying ‘Good morning,’ and hopped to the floor. Her Eevee soon crawled over her leg and followed the Buneary.

Gently pulling back the covers, Rhea got up and examined her two teammates. Mallory, predictably, had a foot off the bed where her head should have been; the blankets were bunched around her ear, right arm on her stomach, and left across Amira’s bundled shins.

Her Pokemon followed suit, with Gables’ toes draped across her thighs and Roxie lying between her bust.

Rhea watched Lori’s chest slowly rise and fall, lips partially parted to release soft puffs of air. She’d learned a lot more about her teammates and how each of them had their own insecurities—she wasn’t the only one working through problems. Still, she never expected the party girl to be helpless in the water.

Rolling around her neck, she waved at Amber when the Fennekin joined Alice and Nova, stretching on the hardwood floor. Following their example, Rhea leaned left and right, examining the dim room.

A rug was underneath the bed, and there were two large dressers on either side of the wall; a mirror was on the one opposite the window to reflect light into the room. Above the bed and built into the wall, an unusual design choice was a gas fireplace, surrounded by brick, and expensive landscape paintings were across the sheetrock. Two chairs facing each other in the back left corner allowed a couple to sit and enjoy the view out of the large window had it not been closed for Rhea.

They’d been guided to the cabin by Silver after Lyra dropped them off in the rural area; the road was dirt, and they couldn’t see any other structures in the surrounding forest. The High Master-tier Trainer then guided them into the luxury cabin.

Exiting the master bedroom, Rhea carefully closed the door after the Pokemon cleared it. Katelin gave her a short wave as she turned around. “Hey! I was gonna take a shower, but if you wanna go first, that’s cool—wait, you don’t have any clothes, do you?”

Folding her arms, Rhea sighed, braided hair shifting at her back. “Don’t remind me … Everything I had was blown away when that Pidgeot attacked us.”

Katelin’s expression tightened. “Oof, yeah, I’ve had a few times where we lost everything. Ugh,” she rolled her eyes, “one time because Atreyu sneezed and lit my whole pack on fire—yeah, watch out for your stuff, Amber,” she chuckled, glancing at the Fire Fox.

She gave a thoughtful grunt, turning back to Alice and Nova as they got into a conversation.

“Hmm,” Rhea rubbed her neck. “I guess we’ll have to buy some more clothes today.”

Her focus moved to Silver as he came into view down the hall, walking in from the front room. “You needn’t worry about that, Rhea. When you three are ready, we’ll do some shopping in town; they won’t have everything you need, but what we can’t find, we’ll order and have shipped to Cerulean’s Pokemon Center.”

Hands gripped at her front, Rhea forced a chuckle; he had a certain serious charm, especially when smiling. “Thanks, Mr. Rocket. Umm, is my brother still here?”

Katelin groaned, adjusting her nightgown. “No—he took off after making sure you were asleep. I waited for him to come back until like 3 A.M., but…”

Her focus moved to Silver as he laughed. “He came back at 3:26 A.M., but you weren’t awake.”

“Eh? No way,” she grumbled, sliding her fingers through her unbound blue locks. “Did I really crash that hard? Too bad. Did he find Rhea’s stuff?”

Rhea’s breath caught, imagining her brother and his Pokemon scanning through that battlefield through the night for her gear. He really went back to find our stuff?

“Fortunately, and unfortunately, he did,” Silver sighed, shaking his head. “Almost all of it is ruined, either by wild Pokemon, thinking it was litter, or from the battle itself. He cleaned up the rest of it with a few Rangers that were exploring the area, but the dresses Lyra had made were unusable.”

“Aww,” Rhea crossed her arms. “I loved that dress; it was so convenient.” Swallowing while looking down at her swimwear—the only clothing left, she frowned. “Guess we’ll have to grab some stuff after all.”

Silver leaned against the wall, wearing a smile as he slid his hands inside his pockets; he’d swapped to a fitted, black high-neck long-sleeve shirt and blue gym pants in place of his work suit. “Not for long. Sabin volunteered to return to your home to get you at least a day’s change of clothes; he should be back within the hour.”

A pout moved Katelin’s lips. “He could have woken me up.”

The man gave an amused shrug. “I told him I’d hold down the fort, and he said you were wrapped so tight around a pillow that he didn’t want to disturb you.”

“He didn’t!” Kate mumbled, cheeks darkening. “That punk—I’ll get him for that…” she growled, scratching the top of her head and walking a few steps toward the second bedroom. “Well, I’m gonna get some stretches in with my Pokemon while you shower, Rhea. Talk to you in a bit.”

Rhea couldn’t help but smile after her retreat; she knew the woman loved her brother and seeing this side of her put things into perspective. The pair tended to tease one another in unusual ways that Sabin didn’t do with her, but the same held true in reverse.

She was still his only little sister, and that was enough for her to share him now—he loved her in a different way that was also unique.

Putting pressure against her arms and fingers, Rhea yawned. “What about my parents? Have they called?”

Silver nodded, jabbing a thumb behind him. “Your dad picked up some stuff for me to make breakfast last night before joining Lyra’s crusade.”

Twisting her hips, she heard a few cracks between her weak grunts. “Mhm—that’s my dad, always worried about me eating … Ugh, you know, Amira and Lori said the same thing a few days ago. Heh, everyone gets so uptight if I skip a few meals. Umm, so, what’s happening with Lyra?”

He directed her to the bathroom. “Get freshened up, and I’ll throw up the news to get you caught up. Breakfast should be ready when you get out.”

Feeling better, she paused before entering the open door with the excited Pokemon, Silver’s tone dropping a little, “After last night … How do you feel?”

Rhea’s lips pulled in, a rush of emotions flooding her breast, but it only lasted a moment as the question seemed to linger in the air. Her hand went to the bandaged wound on her neck, “Mmh … maybe I’m still a bit in shock—I don’t know, but I feel okay right now. It was terrifying last night … Now, though, it’s like it was an eternity ago. I’m more worried about Amira’s emotions, to be honest. She thinks all of this is her fault.”

“And how do you feel about it?” Silver asked, tone soft and filled with understanding.

“Heh,” she shook her head, pulling out her braid and shaking out her long hair for it to tickle her calves. “Me? I think she’s amazing—she put herself in harm’s way to save Lori and me. If it wasn’t for Amber and her, we wouldn’t be alive right now,” she whispered, bending down to scratch the Fire Fox’s ears. “I couldn’t have asked for a better teammate.”

A small smile was on Silver’s lips, but it was on the closed door behind her. “I see … He-he-he-he, eh, maybe I’m a bit biased as her father, but I feel the same. Thanks for sticking by my daughter, Rhea … You’re a good friend and teammate—it’s not easy to be both.”

Nodding, Rhea giggled and entered the bathroom, audibly closing the door behind her; leaning up against the frame, she looked up at the ceiling, hearing the bedroom knob turn and open. Closing her eyes, she let a soundless chuckle rumble in her chest before turning on the fan to mask any following sounds.

Amber’s tail was wagging while jumping up on the counter to give her a thankful smile.

“I mean it,” she whispered. “I think Amira is a hero.”

* * *

Amira’s hand pressed against her breast as the bathroom door closed. She really thinks that … even after being shot?

Her lips tightened as Lori groaned, rolling around on the bed again to fill up the space Amira had left; Roxie and Gables half woke up, adjusting to her restless shifting to snuggle against her new position.

Holly resituated herself against her neck, yawning a little, but the blanket the Unovan girl wrapped around her torso drew Amira’s gaze. Dad must have come in and put that over Rhea and me … I messed up, so why is everyone being so nice to me?

Swallowing the saliva in her throat, she carefully opened the door, cracking it open to hear the bathroom fan start. Of course, her dad was waiting for her against the wall. Tentatively easing the knob back as she exited, she turned around to stare at the floor.

“Morning, my sleepy Mew,” her dad chuckled, red irises lingering on her messy pulled-up hair. “Sleep well?”

Hot air shot through her nose, accusing eyes darting to his soft face. “Don’t act like you didn’t know I was listening,” she grumbled, keeping her voice down to not draw attention.

Silver’s chest shook with silent laughter before motioning for her to follow him to the kitchen.

Amira leaned against the island as her father went into the fridge to extract the ingredients for breakfast quesadillas. Her jaw clamped while watching him silently working on getting the supplies out. He’s going to make me start … Mom’s always the one to jump right in, and he’s the waiting type … I hate you both!

“I’m not a good teammate … I could have gotten them killed,” she blurted out, trying to weather Amber’s protests. “Heh, the ironic part is that Rhea had a conversation with some woman asking for advice on how to discourage her younger brother from doing something stupid … I’m such a hypocrite, doing the same thing.”

Her father gave a short shrug, eyebrows rising while doing a slight nod to the side.

He’s agreeing with me! Really, Dad?!

“Maybe I should just try to do it myself—I’ll just get Rhea and Lori hurt,” she grunted, suddenly feeling a knife in her heart that tightened her lungs. “I’m so stupid…”

“Yeah, can’t argue there sometimes,” he snickered, turning to give her an infuriating smirk. “Remember when that boy confessed to you, and you just ignored him?”

Amira’s face flushed. “What does that have to do with anything? You’re no help at all…”

“C’mon,” her dad sighed, starting the stove and setting a pan on it to start warming it up. “You came home and cried to me for twenty minutes, asking me what’s wrong with you—have you even told your mom to this day?”

“Why?” Amira growled, “what could she do … Mom doesn’t have a single embarrassing bone in her body—she couldn’t care less if she says or does something that’s totally cringy.”

“Mhm…” Amira stiffened as her dad’s left hand lingered on the knife he was about to use to cut the vegetables, tapping the marble countertop. After a moment, he walked over and wrapped his arms around her.

“H-Hey!” Amira mumbled, pushing against his firm chest, but in the next second, tears were coming to her eyes. “Stop … I’m … I’m fine … I’m just stupid…” It didn’t take long for her to curl up against her abs and shakes to rattle her bones as she pressed into her dad’s body. “How can I be so stupid … I’m sorry, Dad…”

Emotion touched her father’s voice. “Tch … Really, Amira, every time you feel like you’ve done something wrong, you apologize to me as if you’re letting me down.”

“I-I have,” she swallowed the lump in her throat, nose and throat hot. “I went to a Platinum area … I know I shouldn’t have, but…”

Her dad’s gentle hand closed around the back of her head, pressing her ear against his chest. “Are you still trying to compare yourself to your mother? Amira, if you knew the pressure and heartache she feels because of—you’re you, Amira.”

She slowly shook her head. “M-Mom’s never gotten it—I want to be strong and confident … I want to be brave and happy, but it’s so hard…”

“Heh,” Silver shot out a strong puff of air. “All you see is the Champion, legendary mother you grew up admiring … You don’t know the half of how stupid your mother was when we were teens, and this—this wasn’t your fault—and no one is blaming you … no-one but you, honey,” he choked. “Forgive yourself.”

Amira sniffed. “I can’t—I couldn’t live with myself if … if I got Rhea killed … She was only an inch away from—it almost hit a major artery!”

“You can’t live like that,” her dad whispered. “You’re human, Amira, and it wasn’t your fault that situation happened—everything was on Plasma. If he wasn’t there, none of this would have happened … Don’t eat his sins.”

The words dug at her soul, but she couldn’t let it go. “Dad … You can’t tell me if it was Mom; she would have found a way to get out of it without help…”

Taking a deep breath, her dad let it stream out, brushing against the top of her head. “What I do know…”

He gently pulled away, and Amira hesitantly let him go. Turning off the stove, he returned to take her hand and guide her to the front room. Sitting on the couch, he drew her against his chest, draping a blanket around her—she felt like melting into his arms.

Her father’s voice was soft and solemn. “Amira, you hold your mother on such a pedestal that it crushes her some days—the way you compare yourself to her, judging yourself at the foot of a colossal mountain towering over you.”

Amira felt hollow, even with the comforting love her Pokemon tried sending her; Holly had awoken, doing her best to cheer her up while wrapped around her neck. “All I’ve ever wanted was to be like her…”

Silver brushed back her bangs. “Your mother cries to me some nights—asking how she can be a more supportive mother without crossing the line—asking me if she messed up, and in the process, made you feel less of a woman because of the life she’s lived. It kills her, trying to distance herself to let you make your own mistakes … To be you, not her … she wants you to be more than her—your mother wants you to be you, Amira.”

“How?” Amira whispered. “Every step that I take feels like another mistake … Everything’s falling apart. I wasn’t supposed to be this stupid…”

Her dad’s arms closed around her bare stomach, drawing her in. “You’re smothering yourself, Amira—I don’t know what you’re expecting of yourself, walking in your mother’s shoes. She’s not perfect … Your mother is goofy, flawed, emotional, and a hot mess a lot of the time … She wants to scream when you put these expectations on yourself.”

“What should I be then?” Amira whimpered, listening to her father’s heartbeat to calm her own. “Grandpa, Mom, you … I can’t make a mistake or…”

“Or you’ll embarrass us to the public—lose him business opportunities, and potentially hurt the company, and thereby the employees that rely on him?” Silver sighed. “Cause people to hate on your mother?”

She felt something wet drop onto her hair. “Amira … no one can hurt your mother more than you can. If she saw you like this—it would break her. All she wants is for you to be happy—free, enjoying life to the fullest—not caged by the expectations and pressure you put on yourself. You focus so much on your flaws and elevate her strengths to an impossible degree—she would fail in those shoes.”

Amira trembled; he’d never talked to her like this before. “I’m scared … Who am I if … What if I am a failure?”

Her father’s sad voice numbed Amira’s entire body. “You can only fail at being your mother … No matter how hard you try, you will never be her. All you can be is yourself. Don’t trap yourself in her shadow—you will make mistakes, and if you can’t accept that, you’ll never beat your mother … That’s your goal, isn’t it?”

“I’ll never beat Mom?” she whispered, fear gripping her chest.

“Not by following in her shoes … blaze your own trail with your team—show your mother she’s your inspiration, not a suit you can disguise yourself in. Don’t waste your life chasing a shadow … Heh, you know how much she loves the sun—be a light she wants to follow.”

Right… Amira whispered in the safety of her own mind. How can I ever be the light to someone like Mom when I started my journey so late … She was Champion-tier by her seventeenth birthday.

Reading her mind, her father hummed, looking up at the ceiling. “How? By being her precious daughter, Amira … Why do you think she stopped training when Ethan and Kris kept pushing?”

Her skin prickled, knowing the answer all too well. “... Me.”

“Because her daughter—you are the most important thing to her—not training, and it’s not just her—Zelri, Conny, Dowo, Bailey, Mikayla, and Riga … All of her Pokemon are so proud of you—and mine, too—we want nothing more than for you to succeed and be happy.”

“And look at me,” she muttered, gripping the blanket closer. “I’m such a failure.”

“Only to yourself … I know you’re going to beat your mother … as yourself, not by being her. All we want to do is help you bloom into the beautiful woman that we see. We love you, Amira—your mother, would burn the world for you … the love she has … I can’t even express it. Please, if you can’t believe in yourself, trust in the faith your team and family have for you.”

His words echoed in Amira’s mind, drawing on something small in her heart, nourished by the experiences she’d had over the last three weeks. “But … I was stupid for going there?”

“Stupid?” her dad chuckled, causing the reverberation to rattle through her bones. “I wouldn’t say it was really stupid—you had a plan, right?”

“Yeah…”

“Ballsy, for sure, and a little reckless, but something your mother wouldn’t have even hesitated over. Gah, I can’t count the number of medical supplies we went through when we were kids … Heh, I think I saw her with a bandage somewhere on her face more times than not, and Ethan—yeah, that kid was somehow worse,” he growled in frustration. “The best times of my life,” he ended in a soft mutter.

Amira let her mind wander in the ensuing silence, working through the emotions colliding inside her. “So … I can make mistakes?”

“Of course,” her dad replied, ruffling her already messed up hair and easily lifting her up to set her back down on the couch like a child. He gave her a slight grin, clearing away his wet and red cheeks. “Still, this wasn’t your mistake—learn from this, and losing isn’t bad. If you never lose, you’ll never grow.”

Forrest’s words to Rhea came flooding back into Amira’s mind as her vision fell to the rug. “Rhea lost … failed, but they got back up and tried again. I … I guess I can, too.”

Her dad returned to the kitchen, preparing their food, and Katelin popped her head out. “Hey—oh, uh, heh, okay—my bad!” she choked a laugh after seeing their faces and darted back in.

Unphased, Silver picked up the knife and brought the vegetables under the blade. “Take your time, Amira. Think about it. I’m sure you’ll find your path with an excellent example like Rhea in your team, and don’t try to be her, either … Let yourself shine for once.”

Amira’s grip tightened around her blanket, drawing it closer as Holly, Amber, and Serenity mirrored her father’s advice. Be more like me … and less like Mom or Grandpa. Dad really thinks I can beat Mom?

She looked up to the kitchen, watching her father work. If I can beat Mom, I can definitely beat Grandpa … I just need to be myself…

Mallory came stumbling out of the room shortly after, Gables wrapped around her left leg and Roxie draped across her shoulder. “Eh—yo, Amira … Ugh, yeah, rough night for me, too, huh?”

“What … do you mean?” Amira asked, eyebrows drawing together while touching her flushed cheeks. She tried to smile. “Do I really look that bad?”

Lori shrugged, examining the food on the island. “Wooh! That looks like it’s gonna be sick! Uh, I mean, I cried a bit, too, when I woke up, and you guys were gone. I was all, no, they hate me for not being able to swim!” she laughed, clearly joking by her tone. “Naa, I’m just playin’, but seriously! I was like, for real, I’m always the last one up—gah, I’m always making us start late, huh?”

Amira shook her head, feeling a smile coming on as the Unovan girl’s infectious grin caught her. “No … I like you just the way you are.”

“Aww, thanks, Amira! So, Rhea still in the shower?”

Katelin hopped out of her room, doing a quick check to see if the atmosphere had changed. “Eh, yup! We’re just waiting for Sabin to come with some clothes for her.”

“Not only that,” Silver chuckled, getting the first quesadillas ready to put into the pan, “Sabin said he knew his sister would feel awkward if she was the only one with clothes, so he’s bringing some dresses for the two of you to use until we go shopping later.”

“Sweet!” Lori hopped into the couch beside her, glancing down at her bust. “Uh … I hope he brings her baggier ones.”

Katelin giggled, sitting across from them before crossing her legs and adjusting her nightgown. “For real, girl—you’ve got it goin’ on!”

“Don’t remind me!” she groaned. “I hate it! Bah, Amira—”

“Huh?” she asked, red eyes darting to the purple-haired girl.

She reached over to jab her shoulder with a wink. “You got the perfect proportions, I swear! That gorgeous skin, hair—and Rhea agrees, not to mention you’ve got the best voice out of us!”

Blushing a little, Amira felt the hole in her heart healing. “I’m not that pretty…”

“She’s making a joke!” Katelin laughed. “Man, that’s rich! Can you believe this girl, Lori?”

“You have no idea! Rhea hangs on her every beauty tip! You should hear about this thing she does to keep her hair so healthy…”

It didn’t take long for Amira to start feeling better, and when Rhea came out, Amber bundled in a towel, chirping with joy, Amira finally laughed. Maybe she could be herself—although it was hard to pull herself away from the image of her mother. Still, if Rhea and Lori were okay with her failing, maybe it would be possible.

Several minutes later, Sabin returned to Katelin and Rhea’s delight, bearing gifts. The brown-haired man directed their attention to the TV soon after as her father set the table. “Have you seen the Press Conference? It’s blowing up all over the world—trending everywhere!”

“No?” Rhea muttered, moving to help Silver after hugging her brother. “I’ve had other things to think about … Uh, who spoke—Chase?”

He shook his head, light in his eyes. “No, Yellow’s back!”

Everyone paused, turning to look at him. “Yellow, Yellow?” Katelin asked. “Legendary Cutie Yellow?”

He nodded, scanning for the remote. “Yeah—that’s not all. Red, Blue, Kris, Green, and Leaf … It’s insane! It’s like the world’s strongest Trainers are all in Kanto overnight!”

Amira couldn’t believe it, and her thoughts instantly went to her mother. Mom … Are you that upset? You called everyone together for…

Tears came to her eyes, and everyone froze, but she couldn’t stop crying. Rhea was the first to close in and hold her, followed by Lori, who forced her way in on the other side, pulling her head against her breast.

I don’t deserve this … but thank you … Thank you…