10:21 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 took the right side of Amira while Lori took the left, holding her to let the redhead know she was loved. She didn’t know everything that was weighing on her teammate’s hearts, as Amira didn’t share, seemingly unable to put it into words, but she didn’t need to; if the role was reversed, Rhea knew all she’d want would be someone there to hold her.

If they weren’t enough, Holly, Amber, Alice, Nova, Miky, and Roxie were out and taking up every extra place they could find around the sobbing redhead.

After making sure she was okay, Sabin and Katelin moved to help Silver finish preparing breakfast; Amira’s father had made his presence known, squeezing her shaking shoulder for a minute before allowing Rhea and Mallory to be there for his daughter.

Several minutes passed until the strong-willed Rocket girl was hiccuping and sniffing back her runny nose. Amira kept her focus on the wool rug, and silence soon took the living room, only broken by Silver, Katelin, and Sabin’s soft movements.

Once she’d calmed down, Rhea found her hand, squeezing it and giving her a reassuring smile. How much pressure has she been putting on herself? I know nothing needs to be said, but is there anything I can do? It’s gotta be a lot deeper than just the danger thing, too.

Nova, ever the sensitive one, had been crying with Holly, snuggling up between Rhea and Amira’s shoulders—the little Eevee couldn’t handle strong emotions. Mya and Alice found some common ground in trying to ease the fluff-ball’s confused distress.

Eventually, everyone started to calm down, and Amira cleared her thick throat. “I’m … Mmgh…”

Figuring the redhead wanted to say ‘I’m sorry’ but realized everyone would jump on the ‘don’t say sorry’ train, Rhea shook her still damp hair. “We’re always here for you, Amira! No need to explain anything.”

“Right?” Lori sighed, taking a moment to flip her hair around to a better position. “Heh, you remember me in that boat … I was ornery, snappy, and a total…”

The Unova girl trailed off, eyebrows furrowing. “Mmh, where am I even going with that?”

Rhea giggled. “No clue, but if you need anything, Amira … we’re here for you.”

Amira’s chest fluttered a little against Rhea’s arm as she pressed in to hug tighter. “Thanks … Umm, I think I’m a bit better now. I’m just trying … It’s a lot to process.”

“Take your time, honey,” her dad replied, cleaning the dishes as Katelin and Sabin put hot towels over the plates, helping to keep the food warm.

Shifting a little in Rhea’s arms to let her know she wanted to right herself, Amira straightened, reaching forward to pull out a few tissues to clean her face. “Thanks … Yeah, I … hmm.”

Taking another few seconds to compose herself, Amira eased the blanket around them to the side, dumping it on Lori to get up and ease out a bit of tension. “Umm, there was something about a Press Conference with Yellow?”

Sabin nodded, taking a standing position behind the nearby sofa with Kate. “Yeah, I can stream it to the TV if you want—it’s pinned to the front of Skull’s platform.”

A lump dropped down Rhea’s throat, every Legendary-tier Trainer in the two regions, excluding Ethan, was currently in Kanto. The last time one of them spoke at a Press Conference was Blue, when he stepped down from the Champion position after his alcoholism grew too much for him, and conceded the position back to Lance.

Rhea didn’t know all of them that well, but most of them she’d at least talked to a few times throughout her life, and Blue was somewhat of a regular to her hidden village.

Everyone turned to Amira, waiting to see if she was fine for it to respond; the girl’s gaze still hadn’t risen from the rug, standing in place and rubbing her shoulders. “Is my mom on TV?”

Silver moved to stand between Sabin and Rhea, arms crossed and an understanding smile on his face. “She is in the background. Chase gave the opening speech before introducing Yellow; I watched it live.”

Amira nodded, taking a deep breath and shifting to look back at the food. “Ahem … We should eat … Do you want to play it while we have breakfast?”

“Sounds good to me!” Lori replied, getting to put her hands behind her back and stretch out her chest; the small pops her bones made caused Rhea to smile.

“Mhm,” Rhea jumped in, getting to her feet and following their example as their Pokemon joined them. “Gah—it feels good to stretch sometimes, and—heh, you two are the ones that are always…”

The door shot open with a heavy thump that made all of them jump and spin around. In the doorway was a panting woman with frizzy blonde hair, sunken blue eyes, and wearing a rumpled brown shirt and skirt.

Rhea’s tongue lodged in her throat as she tried to speak, her gasp turning into a choke. Hand coming to her neck, she coughed as Sabin muttered, “Mom?”

Christie rushed inside, almost tripping on her heels as Rhea doubled over, Amira reaching over to rub her back in concern. “Honey—I’m just … How bad is the wound? Your dad said it will heal, but there will be scarring … Let me see…”

Recovering with tears in her eyes, Rhea did her best to find an opening as her mother closed in; Sabin came between them, holding up his hands to fend her off. “Mom, it’s been like twelve hours now! She’s not dying…”

“I’m—I’m fine, Mom!” Rhea panted, trying to catch her breath as her heart began to race; just seeing her mother made her want to jump into her arms, but she held herself back. “I’m just—you scared me!”

Sabin wasn’t able to hold off their mother for long and she was soon brushing back her long, unbound blonde locks to examine her neck. “I came as soon as I could … Muk, I hate how busy everyone is—your dad couldn’t even find the time to teleport me! Everything was so hectic and everyone was trying to get on the same page…”

“Christie,” Silver chuckled, having backed up a little to give them room, “I dressed her wound myself. We can go to a clinic in…”

Rhea caught sight of a 5’5” Honchkrow that slowly walked through the door as her mother shot a quick glare in Silver’s direction, pulling one of the six pokeballs off her waist.

“Honestly,” her mother complained, “I know Lyra was going through a rough time, but I know her Pokemon are skilled enough to concentrate their energy into healing human injuries.”

Mallory was now focused on the Big Boss Pokemon, though. “Hey … Is that you, Aya?”

Silver followed Lori’s gaze to her mother’s Pokemon. “Lyra was … Mmh, you know how focused she can get when things upset her … I apologize.”

“Humph…” A 2’1” Bellossom Rhea knew all-too-well exited the pokeball. “We’ll do it ourselves then.”

Rhea consigned herself to be guided back to the couch by her mother’s worried hands, noticing Katelin awkwardly acting as the background character. I love you, Mom, but you’re always hot or cold … You’re either obsessed I’m not eating a proper diet or too engrossed in your work. It’s why I used to fake so much stuff when I was a kid…

Vanty, her mom’s female Bellossom, was one of her unique breeds, evolving with the rare Healer Ability. It was a staple when she was younger:

Come home with cuts and bruises from playing in the forest? Vanty.

Cut her finger while cooking? Vanty.

Sick stomach? Vanty.

The common cold? Vanty.

Even if the Pokemon wasn’t a cure-all, her ability helped alleviate some of the stresses on her body, and Rhea had a lot when she was a child. Rhea wondered if even hospital Pokemon had as much human healing capability as this little Flower Pokemon.

Vanty hopped up on the couch, happy smile in place and leaf skirt swaying; Nova and Alice were quick to show interest. It only took a moment for her mother to get off the bandage, revealing the sticky ointment Silver used to disinfect the wound.

Christie’s eyes narrowed, and if Rhea was being honest, she didn’t exactly look at it closely; she’d been careful with it in the shower, wiping her skin down instead of letting the spray rain on top of her. “I can’t believe you had a brush with a Unova terrorist organization in Kanto … This is supposed to be your first experience out in the world, and look what you’ve had to deal with…”

“Mom … stop fussing,” she hissed as the air touched the gash, her cheeks darkening a little with everyone's eyes on them. “You say that, but this is like … like every other week for Dad and you.”

Her mother’s jaw tightened, a deep rumble in her throat that said it wasn’t a point she accepted. “Maybe as time went on—not the first few weeks of your Bronze journey, though. Vanty … I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

The cute Pokemon’s flowers spun as she gave a happy chirp, holding out her hand to radiate a concentrated yellow glow. The pain eased, and she felt a light euphoric sensation pass through her mind. Once over, Vanty patted her shoulder and hopped down to walk outside and see if there were any flowers.

Lori was gently stroking the back of her mother’s Honchkrow. “Umm, Aya’s telling Roxie that my dad’s in the region?”

Christie nodded, making a closer inspection of where Rhea’s cut had been. “Mhm … He’s been our Unova connection, organizing any information we need on their end. I bet he’ll want to see you once all this business is over, and honestly … I’m not expecting it to last much longer,” she whispered, brightening a little. “There, not even a scar on your beautiful skin!”

“Thanks, Mom,” Rhea grumbled, getting up. “Umm, hey…” Everyone gave her their attention. “Can I get a second with my mom while you set up the TV for Yellow’s speech?”

Amira’s gaze softened with understanding. “I think that’d be good. We’ll heat up the food and make some more for your mom to join us … Right, Dad?”

“Of course,” Silver promptly replied, moving back to the kitchen to put on an apron. “We have enough for an extra mouth or two.”

Rhea gave her mother a slight smirk, pulling the confused woman toward the sliding glass door. “Good, ‘cause she’s a Tepig whenever we’re at home.”

“Oof,” Katelin winced, leaning into Sabin. “Called out!”

Sabin snickered at their mother’s drawn-in eyebrows, trying to process what she’d said. “I mean, is she wrong? You’ve eaten at our house—she eats more than my dad!”

“Do not!” Christie protested. “I happen to eat quite healthy.”

“Grandpa’s influence on her!” Rhea chuckled, causing the atmosphere to lighten. “He does the same thing with me when we’re around—Rhea, you’re too skinny! Grandma, too, but she’s more subtle about it.”

“That’s Grandma,” Sabin shrugged, “and yeah, heh, it do be like that sometimes.”

Dragging her mother outside, she saw the woman’s expression lighten up once beyond the cabin. “A cruel thing, to use your distraught mother as comedy relief … I’m glad you’re doing okay.”

Rhea’s grip slackened, catching sight of Vanty moving between flowers to smell them. Pulling away a bit, Rhea brushed her hair away as the wind strengthened and pulled it out of her eyes. “I’m not, really … not completely.”

Her mother’s fingers twitched toward her before stopping and drawing back to nervously fidget with her shirt. “Was … it something I did … The Clefairy thing?”

Taking a deep breath and finally letting the chaotic emotions swirling in her breast start to settle, Rhea decided if it was ever going to be addressed, today was the time. Building her courage, she turned around to give her mother a somber stare, keeping her voice as controlled as she could.

“Mom … I know you’ll never be like any of the normal mothers I grew up watching in shows…” Her lips tightened as the woman that birthed her focused on the grass, fingers finding her wrist. “I know me saying that hurts … It hurts a lot … but I can’t pretend that it hasn’t affected me, too … Mom, I love you.”

Stepping forward to take her hands and draw her pained gaze, Rhea breathed for a second, throat constricting. “I love you—so much, and I’d fake cry—make up things, and even hurt myself in the forest to get you to pay attention to me … All to get your attention because you weren’t there like Dad was, and … and I get it—I do … now I do…”

Letting the lump ease down to her stomach, Rhea sniffed back her tears, trying to remain strong and push through. “You kept as close as you could—called, sent me letters because you knew I loved them and would be home every time you weren’t on some big project … but I knew it was only a visit, and—and most of the other kids’ parents would go, but never like you, so…

“So, I felt different, which was why I didn’t like to go to their houses, and would have them come over or meet somewhere to play. I hated your work for a while—loved you, but hated what you did, and asked if maybe it was my fault—no, I know it wasn’t!” she added, at seeing her mother’s big, watering eyes.

“I played with Dad’s Pokemon because yours were rarely around—and when they were, I had a great time, but it always felt so short.”

She looked back and smiled at her little Buneary and Eevee, ears folded back while looking at them from the porch, and Mya was feeling down within her pokeball. “That being said … Yeah, it hurt a lot—growing up, I had my problems, but I know you were trying to help bring down people like Plasma … I understand now how scary it is—and I—I can’t imagine how brave and strong you are to do all of this.”

“What?” her mother whimpered, arms beginning to tremble as Rhea moved in to wrap her arms around her.

“You’re so brave, Mom … I did see you a lot more than it felt like as a kid … I was selfish, and I had Dad almost all the time—while you were out stopping bad people and giving me my beautiful Pokemon. I love them … I love you, and … and yeah, I’m so scared of losing you, but after all of this, mmh … I know—I know I need to have faith in you because my mom is strong.”

Liquid wetting her eyes, she tried to choke out her words, “... Oh, my little Swablu,” her mother whispered, voice between a cry and laugh as her grip tightened. “I’m far from a perfect mother … heh, you know that first hand, and … I’m so blessed to have a son and daughter who can put up with their crazy mother’s flaws. I want you to be happy—to have adventures and be safe … but I know this world isn’t safe, which is why I worked so hard to give you everything I could to provide the best protection I was—”

Rhea nodded, cheeks pressing against her mother’s. “I know … I know. I’m an imperfect daughter, too—that did stupid things to make you worry … I’m terrible. So, Mom … I’m going to try to be better—to get stronger, so you don’t have to worry so much.”

All her mother could do was breathe, emotions causing her chest to heave against Rhea’s. They held each other for a few minutes until able to regain control.

Arms tightening around her back, Christie kissed her cheek. “Together … We’ll work on our problems as a family. If you need anything—anything at all, you know all of us are just one call away.”

“Heh…” Rhea returned the peck on the cheek. “Mmh, and I know that if anything does happen, Aunt Cynthia will fly into space and bring you back herself … What’re some Extraterrestrials against the Legendary Sinnoh Champion?”

“Right?” her mother giggled, brushing away her tears. “Your aunt has literally picked me up and carried me like an infant to bed before!”

“Dad, too,” Rhea snickered.

“Ugh … Yes, and I’ve carried your father that way, as well,” she grumbled, scratching behind her left ear and brushing her messy locks back. “Well, how about we watch that conference before getting ready for some shopping?”

Rhea’s puffy eyes lit up. “You’re coming shopping with us? That’s like…”

“Mhm!” Christie grinned. “Our first Mother and Daughter shopping trip!”

Excitement bubbling up inside her, Rhea returned to the cabin to find everything set up for breakfast in front of the TV.

Settling in, Rhea started to eat while listening to the speech start, Chase walking up to the podium. Behind him, in the oversized chairs of the Elite 4, were Will, Koga, Bruno, Karen, and one surprise guest that stood beside Chase’s center throne, Elaine.

The brown-haired girl was notorious for being Chase’s closest rival and would often battle for the Champion Title. Chase was on top, at the moment, having won fifteen and lost thirteen, but that difference had been reversed the year before.

Her infamous Eevee was held in her arms, and to Nova and Rhea’s shock, once settled in, her mother casually said, “Oh, look, Nova, it’s your mom!”

“What?” Rhea simultaneously chimed with her stunned Eevee, vision darting back to center on the shocking revelation. “Ambrosia is Nova’s mother?”

Christie took a second to sip some water. “Mhm … Ambrosia is definitively the strongest Eevee in the world. She also cannot evolve—much like Red, Yellow, Ash, and Chase’s various Pikachu. Although, definitively speaking, Yellow and Red’s Pikachu take the cake for genetic abnormality having been a part of an early Light Ball Rocket experiment … Forced into it in Rocket’s earlier days,” she muttered, glancing over at Silver.

Silver held up a hand. “I was seven years old at the time, but yes, there were a lot of unethical experiments that produced a select few incredible Pokemon at the cost of thousands.”

Rhea and Nova were still on Ambrosia being Nova’s mother, and not wanting to make Amira think about her family’s past, pressed on. “How did that happen? Why didn’t you tell me before or … Do Elaine and Ambrosia know about Nova … Well, I mean, of course, they’d know, but I mean about me?!”

“Of course,” her mother chuckled, looking up at the paused video and serious-looking Eevee. “I came to them with the proposal to make the strongest daughter for my daughter, including the fact that she'd be able to change into every Eeveelution. I’m sure they’ll seek you out at some point to catch up and see how things are going.”

Nova’s excitement was almost palpable as she jumped around in a circle. Voicing Alice and Mya’s own questions, Rhea asked, “What about my other two Pokemon?”

Her mother sat back and studied her two Pokemon. “I looked around for quite some time and thought I settled on two specific candidates to be their parents, but then two phenomenal Pokemon immediately caught my attention after your grandmother mentioned a rather talented young Contest star.”

Rhea’s lips parted in disbelief, remembering back to the past few years of famous showings from across the regions. “Hoenn … Are you talking about May Lavent—her Mawile and Lopunny?”

“You know of her?!” Christie chortled. “I shouldn’t be surprised. I approached her since I had a lab in Sootopolis; I gained her permission and examined their genetics to find the girl’s Pokemon had nearly perfect stats—the important part for her Loppuny being Klutz had been replaced by your cute bun’s rare sleeping Ability!”

Alice and Mya had no clue who May was but were excited after feeling Rhea’s awe. “Wow … that’s so cool, Mom! She’s so cute, and … gah, I can’t even say how many Contest’s she’s blown through, and she’s only Platinum-tier!”

Catching everyone’s smile, Rhea swiftly scooted back, realizing she was on the edge of the sofa. “Sorry, umm, we were going to start the video?”

“I think you’re the cute one!” Katelin giggled. “Everyone ready?”

When they nodded, Sabin pressed play. Rhea paid close attention as Chase smacked his lips and glanced around at the press surrounding the Conference Room at the Indigo Stadium. The young man’s voice was strong, yet it wasn’t hard to see he was tense.

“My fellow citizens from Kanto and Johto … I have called this Address as more than a message to our nation … but to the world. We have been privileged to host the first Regional Combined League and are acting as the pilot for the initiative in this progressive revolutionary movement.

“We have overlooked past wars and grievances that have stained the pages of our history books with blood. Yet, we have tried to progress beyond that history to come into the United Indigo Leagues, and as with everything, there are always challenges that must be overcome.”

He paused, glancing around at the unseen reporters and cameras in the room, voice turning somber. “As many of the News Stations in this room have reported on, there were sightings of the infamous Plasma Frigate … Damaged and blinking in and out of its cloaking technology.”

The power in his voice returned, trying not to appear weak. “Certainly, it is a fair comparison that the commentators on the images, and connecting it to the very public announcement I made earlier this month concerning the capture of a High Ranking Plasma terrorist, Zinzolin.

“As I am sure you are aware, his most notable … I fear calling it a crime is too shallow of a word … Zinzolin’s sin is in his heinous part in the Opelucid City tragedy, when using Kyurem, the Legendary Pokemon's power, to flash freeze the entire area … murdering millions of helpless people in the name of their Lord, Ghetsis.

“Concern is certainly warranted, given that level of threat … a High Master terrorist held in custody is always accompanied by high tension, but Johto’s famed Legend, Gold, the man who stands as one of the pillars of our united region, took up the task of guarding Zinzolin, acting as his personal leash.”

He paused, giving the camera a smile. “I am here to announce that the transfer has been successfully made. As you should be hearing, Iris, Unova’s Active Champion, came personally to make the transfer, and in the process, attacked the Plasma Frigate, forcing them to make a full retreat. Zinzolin is no longer on Kanto or Johto soil.”

Rhea could practically hear the cheers around the nation, and Chase took a moment to allow the information to sink in.

“Certainly, it is a time for celebration, but there are other concerns I am well aware of that have been keeping the nation up at night. I realize that this is a very big moment for our united region, and the world has its eyes on us. So, we must put our best foot forward.”

The young man’s auburn hair swayed a little while shifting his weight to direct a happy smile to the girl behind him. “To that effect, I have a ‘few’ special guests to help bring all doubt to rest. Kanto and Johto are united, and let this be a show to the world that has put their faith in us for their children’s safety!”

He immediately took a step back to allow Elaine to take his place, returning to his seat. The former Champion cleared her throat, her Eevee transferring to her head to puff herself up, trying to look important—Nova was captivated by her mother.

“Hello! I know it’s been a while since you’ve heard from me, but just in case you don’t know, I was Kanto and Johto’s Champion last year!” she said, delivering a dazzlingly cute smile to the masses. “Chase has brought to my attention the concerns about various events that have been happening around our regions, and I’m here to let you know that I support Chase—as both his rival and friend!”

Looking like the bill of confidence, she put both hands on the side of the podium and went right in. “Viridian News Stations have been screaming about Skull’s invasion and highlighting a few dozen cases of somewhat degenerate behavior, but what you haven’t seen are the ‘thousands’ of extraordinary acts the group has done around the city and Kanto!

“They’ve taken part in large trash clean-ups with the Rangers, increased the funds coming into the region by a substantial margin, and stopped quite a few fights and bullying incidents! If you’ve been following Plumeria’s feed on their social media platform, you’ll find her organizing all sorts of positive events, from minor tournaments to lecturing her friends to do better!

“Skull may have had a rocky start, but anyone that’s seen their progress over the last few years knows how much good they’ve done for Alola.”

Her smile turned a bit forced, mirroring her Eevee’s. “Yes, I know Guzma and Skull, in general, can have a pretty hard look, but they have hearts of gold! There were two members I saw helping an old lady across the street; I mean, he-he-he, that’s the kind of thing you see in the movies!”

Bringing her cheer back in, Elaine breathed a long sigh. “Let’s talk about the elephant in the room … Everyone’s seen Guzma’s ultimatum to Plasma and knows the reason behind it. Let me confirm … Yes, the terrorists Unova has identified as the Shadow Triad attempted to murder Lusamine, Aether Paradise’s president, that has been in a coma since the Ultra War.

“As could be expected, an extreme circumstance led to him acting in kind, as any of us would if a precious loved one was attacked. That being said, the League is now taking control over the matter. I’d like to introduce the heroes you all know and love…”

Taking a step to the side, she turned her head to see a crew unlike any other throughout the entire world—multicolored lights brightened the area to reveal Kanto and Johto’s Legends.

Yellow, front and center, took the attention immediately, her mane of silky golden locks pulled into a high ponytail. She wore a black high-neck, long-sleeve shirt, and yoga pants under a yellow robe. Her classic straw hat was gripped in her hands—Chuchu was on her shoulder, a flower sticking to the base of her ear by a static charge.

To her right was Red, Blue, and Leaf, while Lyra, Kris, and Green were on the other side. Rhea already felt goosebumps at seeing six Legendary-tier Trainers standing in one location—each of them had the power to destroy the world or battle Legendary Pokemon, and Lyra wasn’t that far from entering their ranks from what her aunt had told Rhea.

Amira’s thighs tightened against Rhea’s as she saw her mother, a lump falling down her throat. “She’s so tense…”

Rhea couldn’t see it by the pleasant smile the small woman wore, but she’d defer back to Amira on that one.

On the other hand, Yellow’s adorable closed-eyed smile as the world tried to process what they were seeing would have made Rhea laugh had not the small girl’s nervous fidgets against her hat melted her heart.

Stepping forward as the Legends spread out to stare at the camera, Yellow took the stage; Chuchu instantly took the podium, immediately drawing a close-up as she began to talk. “Pika-Pi-Pi-Pika! Pi-Pi-Pika-Pikachu!”

Blue’s slightly annoyed expression turned to slight exasperation, two fingers coming up to his forehead as Leaf giggled and looped her arm around her husband’s. Red had his trademark half-smile while hiding his eyes with the rim of his hat.

It was the contrast between Green’s smirking head shake, Kris’s tight smile, and Lyra’s plastic face that made Rhea realize what Amira had caught onto—Lyra was practically frozen in place.

“Ahem,” Yellow’s petite voice carried through the microphone. “Umm, thank you for those inspiring words, Chuchu. Eh … I hope you forgive me—heh, you know I’m not as good at this. Chase and Elaine are such wonderful Champions … I could never do this back in the day, but … I know a lot is riding on this regional collaboration, so … Chase has asked if we would mind staying for its remainder.”

She let the statement hang for a moment, gathering her thoughts as Chuchu motioned for her to keep going. “Oh, right, umm … Yeah, so … my husband—eh, Red, that is, and Blue, his wife, and my best friend, Leaf … uh, Kris is going to be taking another journey around Kanto with us again! Green’s going to spend some more time with her sister, and Lyra’s got a bunch of spots for us to visit!”

Her nervous light brown eyes darted to her Pikachu, hissing, “What else, Chuchu? There were some other things…”

Chuchu rubbed her ear, releasing a soft stream of air. “Pi-Pi-Pi…”

“Oh, yeah! Umm, right, we’re going to be rooting out all of the corrupt stuff on this vacation—just like old times! Normal Plasma people are just trying to do good by Pokemon and people, and … and umm, we shouldn’t judge them for their beliefs, but some bad ones are hurting people and the overall message.”

Adding a bright smile, she raised her hat into the air. “So, we’re going to make sure we keep everyone safe! That’s it!”

Chuchu jumped on her shoulders as an unusually intense look came over the girl’s face, and Rhea shivered as a wave of pressure swept across the entire region. Brown eyes glowing green, sparks danced around her as Chuchu generated arcs of electricity. “If you plan on hurting people, watch out because Team Red is here to stop you!”

The oddly reassuring aura the girl spread across two entire regions popped like a bubble as her husband walked over and guided her away for Blue to take the stage. “Eh … I know we’ve been gone for a while, but … oh, am I done?” she asked in surprise.

A big, confident grin that could only come from Blue or Ethan appeared on the showy man’s face while taking a mic off the stand to say, “You hear that, dweebs? Ya done messed up. Legends are back, so take a hike. Conference over.” Turning around, he dropped it on the ground, leaving the press in silence.

Rhea smirked, feeling safe after Yellow’s reassuring aura, but Blue’s antics amused her. I guess the other regions will be returning with some interesting stories.

* * *

Appearing back in Giovanni’s study, Lyra’s gaze turned cold upon seeing Sabrina; all three of the Shadow Triad floating around her illuminated form; Blue had taken his wife, Red, and Yellow to handle their own hunt of the smaller targets. Kris’s hand tightened against hers, Green beside them with her arms crossed.

Lyra’s voice was ice. “You found Gorm?”

The Psychic nodded, drawing Giovanni’s gaze; Chase and the others wanted no part in what she was about to do. “Maroon Town.”

Her smile not touching her eyes, Lyra finally had a target. Johto, huh … And coordinating everything from so far away? He must have a few powerful Psychic Trainers helping him coordinate things. It doesn’t matter. The Blackthorn Mountains will be the perfect place to end his existence.

“What about them?” Kris asked, pointing at the ninja.

Lyra glowered at the triplets. “Witnesses to tell others what happens to those that go after our loved ones.”

Once Sabrina sent the exact location to her mind, Zelri teleported them toward their target; there was no escape—she would have her pound of flesh.