9:00 P.M. June 14, Monday, 106 PH (Post Hoopa Event)

Events: The start of the 2nd week in the Joint Kanto and Johto Indigo Summer League Preliminaries. 1st of the 2 Days of Rest after the previous week’s battles.

The breeze running down from Mt. Silver was much cooler than the areas Mya had been since hatching five days ago. Every new experience was like electricity running through her veins, born to live her life to the fullest; she was wide-eyed, hot-wired, locked, and loaded for conflict.

She was born wild, yet the Wild Pokemon she’d seen so far weren’t anything like her. Throughout the past hour that she’d been chasing around Nova and Tera, most of the Pokemon nearby didn’t dare step foot inside the field. At least they didn’t run for the hills, but according to Rhea, that was because they were stronger than the Pokemon they’d come across around Route 1; she wasn’t impressed, though.

Mya slowed in her chase of Nova to stare up at the bright stars dotting the heavens in a large, half-crescent globe rising from beyond the mountains to illuminate the hilly forest they were in. The sun’s glow was hardly noticeable at this point, but the sky was bright enough to allow her to see in the meadow; she naturally could see well in the dark, even in the overshadowed forest.

She could see the flashing eyes of apprehensive onlookers sprinkled throughout the trees and bushes, drawn by her aura to witness the fight they knew would come.

Rhea had developed a plan earlier with Sam; they thought the Nidorino would be far outside their ability to battle, without a solid strategy, even if joining forces and she was involved, it would be classified as Low Silver-tier, after all.

Mya wasn’t convinced. Losing was impossible to even comprehend for the Mawile, even if she was limited on her Moves; she lived for battle, yet none of these Wild Pokemon even wanted to test her. Nova recounted all the showboating taking place when they first arrived, but for all the hype, she was severely disappointed.

A smirk lifted the edges of both Mya’s lips when her opponent finally showed his rugged face, pink irises hounding the Poison Pin Pokemon as he left the forest carrying a visible swagger

“Humph … maybe this will be more interesting than I thought.”

The Nidorino certainly was rugged looking and appeared to have gone through a few harsh battles by the scars on his skin. He wasn’t afraid to keep going after his defensive shell fell, which was an improvement in Mya’s opinion. This was the type of Pokemon that loved to fight.

Nova growled at his appearance; she really wanted to beat him after hearing Tera’s story. “He’s just as ugly as I thought he’d be!”

The Eevee darted back to Rhea, defending the two in case any wild Pokemon tried to make a move while Mya was occupied. Mya dared any to even try; she’d make an example out of the fool. Their Trainer had given them all the possible information and strategies the Pokemon might use with his Ability and Moves. None of it had Mya worried, but Sam seemed pretty daunted by the news.

This wasn’t the time for fear, though, and Tera shared her emotion, turning to give a hateful glare at the advancing Nidorino. She had unfinished business with the Pokemon, and Mya was more than willing to help out if it meant sinking her fangs into something.

The Nidorino passed by Sam’s tent, ripping a long gash into the durable fabric with his horn, sharp enough to cut it without pause. “Humans and Pokemon … invading my territory? I don’t think so, and what’s this … my little shiny, you don’t think I’ll let you go?” He growled. “Looks like I’ll have to kill your human and punish you.”

“Oh?” Mya mused; she hadn’t met a Pokemon that threatened to kill a human yet. “I suppose this really is the wild.”

“You can’t hurt our Trainers!” Nova and Tera barked, but it wasn’t even a question in Mya’s mind. He could dream.

Tera’s tone had dropped a few octaves as she lowered herself to charge. “I’m going to avenge my mother; she’ll come back if I can kick you out!”

Nidorino snorted, brandishing his discolored horn with pride, all but ignoring the Phanpy. His glaring red eyes were trained on Mya.

She returned a bright smile while waving, her second mouth splitting open in a wicked grin, and her tongue sliding across her fangs with anticipation, saliva dribbling to the grass. “Hello!” Her Intimidate aura grew in strength at her excitement, causing a few hiding Pokemon to run away in the bushes.

“... Not a bad aura,” Nidorino mumbled, returning the expression, “of course, it’s not strong enough to scare me, little girl.”

“Say that when my fangs close around your face,” Mya giggled. She wanted to just rush in, but that wasn’t a part of the plan; Rhea wanted to get some initial chip damage in and to disorient him, which meant they had to wait for him to charge.

His annoyed eyes rolled to Tera while she barked, “I’ll take you out tonight!”

The Nidorino’s tone turned harsh, making Tera flinch a little. At least she held her ground. “I gotta set an example of you now, shiny. You’ll be dead on the ground, just like your mother! Everyone says you’re weak. You’ll never play in the big leagues; never compare to me. You’ll never be a warrior!”

“I’m different now; your horn’s not strong enough!”

Nidorino’s expression darkened as he began stepping forward to charge her. “Famous last words, shiny; just cry for me and bleed again!”

“Come at me with everything you’ve got,” Mya enthusiastically growled, “but you can’t break through this wall!” To her thrill, the Pokemon’s strong defensive shell repelled her first attack. It was now confirmed; she couldn’t lower his Stats, which meant her damaging Moves would also be severely reduced in damage.

However, Rhea had been prepared for that, and there was a way she’d been taught to overcome that tier-gap; she’d be exposed, though.

“Nova, back to your pokeball; okay, Mya, take what you need, and wait for Sam!”

The Eevee groaned; she’d hoped to stay out and defend Rhea, but their Trainer needed to conserve as much of her fortitudes as possible. Nova swiftly returned to the activated ball in Rhea’s hands and she put it back on her belt.

Mya began pulling in a large amount of energy from Rhea; it would be rough on her Trainer, but she’d purposefully held Nova back from Evolving or them using too much power after going over the possible plans.

Sam held both Hector and Tera’s pokeballs in her hands as their powerful opponent prepared to charge, back legs coating with a soft red light.

A fire ignited in Mya’s chest; Rhea’s energy blazed within her. “Fight me!”

* * *

The intimidating Pokemon’s loud shout to fight her amused the Nidorino; he didn’t take orders, and he wouldn’t be lulled into whatever trap the Phanpy set up. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that she had some trick in the works or else she wouldn’t have had the courage to face him … not after what he’d done to her last time.

Nidorino charged at the Phanpy; she had one ability he had to look out for, which she no doubt also possessed since her mother had used it. Still, the Pokemon with the big jaws did put a small amount of unease in him with the aura she released, and between her and the Eevee, they were the prettiest Pokemon he’d seen. Perhaps he’d keep them in his territory.

Charging up Double Kick, he prepared to smash the Phanpy in the face and back into her new Trainer’s chest; it was disgraceful that she’d even try to bond with a human to rise above him. Did she have no pride? No, the moment he brought the battle to both her and the Trainer, they’d panic and he’d easily finish them both.

Strength flooded his muscles, and he ran for the Phanpy; he far out-classed both Pokemon. The shiny girl turning into red energy was not something he expected, causing him to slow down in confusion, vision following the beam to the strange metal ball in the human’s hand.

What the…

The Trainer threw another pokeball in front of him, causing the Nidorino to jump to the side out of caution; he’d heard of the devices used to bond with Pokemon, but it was the first time he’d seen it in person. A Pineco emerged near his left side. He’d dealt with a few of their kind further east, and as long as he was quick, they weren’t a problem.

Shifting his body to punt the spiky ball away, his eyes widened; it was radiating a brilliant light. How … so fast?

“For Tera’s Mom!” The Pokemon roared.

His foot landed before it went off, but the Pineco took the first blow, digging into the ground by the force of his kick.

Why didn’t he faint?!

Nidorino disengaged, jumping away with what extra time he had, but it was too late. The large pulse of white force decimated a two-meter wide area, colliding against his body, and throwing him three meters to the side with chunks of dirt and grass.

He did a barrel roll in the air to land on his feet, jaw tight as he slid to a stop; the surprise attack had taken at least 10% of his defensive shell out, more than most Wild Pokemon in the area were able to do. At least the Pineco would be out of commission.

A low growl rumbled in his throat while watching a red beam exit another one of the Trainer’s devices to recall the Pineco, and the shiny Phanpy returned to the field with a smug grin.

Trainers … they’re the issue.

“Thank you, Hector,” she chimed, vision hardening once settling on him. “Now, let’s finish this, Mya!”

Mya?

His narrowed eyes darted to the beautiful two-mouthed Pokemon and a sharp shiver ran down his spine; a long purple chain shot out of her chest, rushing straight for him. Mya gave him a wicked smile.

Nidorino leaped back, trying to dodge the swift attack, but it changed directions to link with his forehead; a strange link connected him to Mya for a moment that caused cold sweats to break across his skin; both his Defensive Stats fell dramatically. He hadn’t felt so vulnerable in over two years.

“Impossible,” he mumbled, trying to come to terms with what had just happened; the Pokemon’s internal strength had somehow increased. There was no way a Trainer could boost a Pokemon by this much.

A devilish giggle slid through her throat, burning pink eyes fixated on him as her energy continued to build at an impossible rate, large jaws opening wide to release a high-pitched roar that severely cut his Attack. “I said fight me!”

Nidorino’s narrowed eyes fixated on the threatening female Pokemon. She’d used his disbelief to keep attacking, even now she was continuing to build energy; no Wild Pokemon he’d met could pull so much power so quickly. She was a real hazard to his Stats.

He didn’t understand it, though. How did she bypass his much stronger defensive shield that made him immune to every other Pokemon in the area? She shouldn’t have been able to affect him with any Status Moves with how powerful he was compared to her, and the building terrifying aura she produced sent all of his followers around the meadow running. Worse, she’d somehow grown even stronger as he weakened. He’d never met a Pokemon like this.

Making up his mind, Nidorino darted to the right to have proper field vision, taking the chance to attack the Phanpy and break her concentration. He had to buy himself time to take care of the Mya, and he knew the simple answer. Powerful Pokemon he’d met higher on the mountain told him a sure method of dealing with Trainer enhanced Pokemon; kill their human.

The Phanpy tucked into a ball, increasing her Defensive Energy, but he was only concerned about one Move from the Long-Nosed Pokemon; the one called Mya was the real threat. He had to take out her Trainer first.

* * *

The surge of power coursing through Mya’s chest made her feel invincible as she liberally drew on Rhea’s fortitudes; this time with consent and they continued to brute force their way through the Pokemon’s high shield, lowering his Defense and Offense.

Rhea believed he could almost certainly knock them out with a single attack if they didn’t do everything in their power to weaken him; Tera was the real sweeper. It was only Mya’s job to put them on an even playing field. That didn’t mean she couldn’t have fun.

“Aww, what are you doing; I’m right here?!” She yelled in frustration as his horn began to glow, shooting large white projectiles at Tera.

Tera grunted as each spike smashed into her, although she seemed to be doing fine while tucked into her ball; Mya still needed to get the next two attacks before Tera could really get close to him.

A smirk lifted Nidoran’s mouth as he turned his horn on the third attack, right at Rhea; a flaring white barb shot for her Trainer’s chest.

“Mya!” Nova screamed.

The fire in Mya’s chest froze; not only had he ignored her, but attacked Rhea after her warning. She converted the gathering energy inside to a quicker Move.

Darkness surrounded Mya, causing Rhea to wince at the sharp draw increase; her black-infused fist smashed into the barb, destroying it. The following two glowing horns struck her closed second mouth, shoving her back a little in the air, and doing 10% damage to her shell.

Rhea’s strained voice chuckled in Mya’s mind. “Thanks, Mya … umm, I think I only have enough for two more decent Moves before it will start getting dangerous again. I’m already feeling pretty sore.”

… More than enough.

The Nidorino wasn’t amused, but neither was Mya; she'd defend her Trainer from his attack without blinking an eye. He was much faster than her, and Sam was treating Tera’s poison while trying to charge up for their finishing blow. It left Mya to take his attention, which was more than fine with her.

Mya’s second mouth released hot stream as she snarled, “I told you to focus on me, ugly points.”

He charged right at her, charging a Tackle to plower through her and attack Rhea again. “I care nothing for humans and their pets; you’re all weak … what?”

A low rumble reverberated in her throats, heated breath releasing a vaporized liquid as she spread her arms out and set her feet to tank the Pokemon’s stampede; her fangs illuminating with a fierce red light as she pumped Rhea’s energy into them.

The Nidorino’s heavy force slammed into her body, pushing her back a bit with a burst of power that exploded against her chest, but Mya’s intense pink eyes met his stunned gaze as they came to a halt; she’d stopped his charge.

Her lips rose into a smirk. “Wrong Move.”

Mya’s jaws darted out as he’d drawn near, finding a firm grip. Nidorino screamed; her flaming jaws closed around his back, igniting it in a blaze of red. He struggled to free himself from the inferno burning his back, horn smashing against her chest, but she was immune to his poison and the blows held far less power than before.

Feeding strength into her maw and around the Nidorino, Mya lifted him up and threw the Pokemon high into the air. “Who’s weak now?”

* * *

Tera couldn’t believe how much strength Sam had managed to give her with Mya actually handling the ridiculously powerful Nidorino; she was practically bubbling with more energy than she thought possible.

Mom … please don’t be dead … please … I’m going to beat him, and then I can see you again.

Mya’s flaming jaws closed around her nemesis’s back before tossing him right at her.

Thank you, Sam, Hector … thank you so much.

Sam cheered her on, breathing a bit heavy with all the energy she’d sent Hector and her; the courageous Pineco was still KOed in his pokeball. Everything had been for this moment.

Tears dripped out of her eyes as a light brown radiance erupted around her, and she took off into a sprint. Wind gushed past her flopping ears and the first memories she had of her mother when breaking out of her egg came rushing back while closing in on the rapidly falling Nidorino.

He was roaring with rage, utterly oblivious to her stampede as he spiraled through the air to right himself. “Y-You burned me?! I’ll stomp you and your Trainer…”

Tera lowered her head and smashed into the area’s overlord, putting all of her pent-up anxiety and hatred into it.

Nidorino let out a squeak, body curving around her head and his defensive shell shattered. Tera sent him rag-dolling across the ground several meters to land at the edge of the field. Additional strength filled her breast as she slowed to a stop, glow fading around her and she was a little surprised to feel Hector grow a little stronger; they’d really won.

“Yes! Yes! I … I did it … we did it!” She cheered, jumping up and down while bawling.

Sam’s movements seemed stiff while jogging forward to hug her. “I … we won, against a Low Silver-tier?” She panted, skin a bit slick with sweat.

“Yeah,” Rhea groaned, dropping to her butt. “Gah … I’m so tired and sore, though … Mya grew a lot from that fight, though.”

Mya was marching over to the fainted Pokemon to punt him around a bit more, and the glowing red marks of burn were still smoldering on the collapsed Pokemon’s back. “Don’t think it’s over now,” she growled, frightening aura and fangs flashing in the moonlight. “I haven’t chewed you up properly after you attacked Rhea…”

Tera shivered at the dark tone in the Mawile’s throat, but everyone’s attention swapped to a small teenage girl that floated out of the forest with low grumbles.

* * *

Lyra hovered high above the Viridian forest, keeping track of each girl with the help of Zelri, her Porygon-Z. Hilbert sat beside her, his Reuniclus practicing his own Psychic flight; it was difficult for a Pokemon and Trainer to keep up for many hours at a time. It had taken a lot of training and time before Zelri could float her around for days without rest.

Hilbert’s head snapped back toward Saffron City; a massive burst of energy spiked in that direction. Any human could feel sick when in the presence of a powerful Pokemon, but it took practice and a certain amount of genetics to read auras; the solidification of aura through family lines was one of the major contributors to the theory that pedigree mattered. Although, not as much as most were led to believe; she was proof of that. The process took a very practiced Trainer a lot of time to identify Pokemon and especially Trainers’ auras.

Pokemon and Trainer aura discharges could be hidden or suppressed if skilled enough, as well; she had no doubt any Grandmaster would begin their children on the basics while young, which meant Rhea and the others must have some practice in it, Amira certainly did. However, what was currently happening would be far outside their scope.

Usually, High Masters began learning how to identify hidden auras, and being able to project your fortitudes through Aura Control came at the Grandmaster-tier. However, what they were sensing made Grandmasters look like the tiny ants Pokemon ate.

“Uh … you’re kidding me,” Hilbert moaned, taking off his cap for a moment to run his fingers through his brown hair. “Is she really going to challenge Gold?”

Judging by his reaction, he knew the raging aura that just clashed with Ethan’s; she’d never been to Unova, so its Gym Leaders or Champions weren’t really that known to her. Aldar was a pretty good Trainer, but she knew only general information about the rest.

“Mmh … I’m guessing that’s Iris; the girl you’ve been talking about?” Lyra asked, Zelri flipping her invisible seat around to stare into the distance. “Depending on how skilled she is … she might be able to beat me,” she commented.

The city was far too distant for them to see, but when powers that vast sparked, it was difficult not to notice if you knew what you were looking for.

“Yeah,” Hilbert sighed, “that’s Iris’s aura. She’s nowhere near Gold’s level, so why did she suddenly attack him?”

A light giggle shook Lyra’s frame as her brown eyes narrowed, a thoughtful curve on her lips. “Oh, I’d say … she’s a Litleo to a Pyroar … which is actually pretty impressive at her age, and she just … blocked Champ. Wow, and threw him to the side, but they should probably watch the damage while they’re that close to the city … 114 miles is far too close if Ethan wants to play. I think Iris is just trying to tell them she’s the boss, though; they probably wanna do something with the prisoner that she doesn’t like.”

Hilbert’s lips were pulled in, clearly conflicted by the change. “I can get that, she is Unova’s Champion, but … she’s using four Pokemon and he’s using one…”

Lyra’s focus instantly retreated from Iris and Ethan’s spat to the hills below, smile falling, and Zelri took three seconds to teleport the four of them to the thick foliage surrounding a meadow.

Porygon was a fairly unique Pokemon as it gained an ability every time it evolved; Zelri had Trace, Download, Adaptability, and Analytic from her Dream World adventure. Analytic was quite useful in many ways; by slowing her teleport, her Porygon could provide extra coverage from being detected if utilized properly.

Rhea and Sam were battling a Nidorino in the field. She’d been keeping an eye on their fight with the local boss of the area, and the girls had come up with a very ballsy plan. It worked out, but only because of several lucky factors.

On the other hand, the thin, 5”2 girl with four thick pink braids, two at her back and two at her front, dropping just below her shoulder blades, was something else entirely. She came floating through the underbrush, yellow eyes glowing while scanning her environment. She wore a chain-link hairpin with a large red encrusted jewel at the end; similar stones were attached to two anklets.

“I can’t believe I messed up that teleport … but when there’s … oh, uh, hello!” She chimed with a forced chuckle, vision moving between them and the Pokemon.

“Ugh, hi?” Rhea returned, really trying to keep the strain her body, mind, and spirit felt after the recent battle.

Sam got to her feet, holding her newly caught Phanpy against her chest. “Uh … Rhea, she just … did she just fly out of the forest, or was I seeing things?” Her voice was still a bit breathless.

The girl slowly dropped to the ground, a long gray dress fluttering around her ankles. “Erm … maybe? Heh…” She trailed off, and Lyra had no doubt she was trying to get a fix on a place for her next teleport.

What are you doing here? Hmm…

Hilbert leaned in to whisper, “Hey, Lyra, is that…”

“Yeah…” She hissed, holding her finger to her lips. “Something’s not right if she’s here.”

* * *

The girl released a strange aura that Rhea hadn’t experienced before; her heartbeat changed rhythm and a slight euphoric sensation hazed her mind. It was the oddest vibe she’d come across; if she didn’t know any better, she’d say the girl was part Pokemon. Psychics had a unique feel to them, yet this was well beyond that feedback.

Rhea returned the awkward chuckle. “... Eh … so, you’re a Psychic? You must be pretty strong to float around like that. It’s just kind of odd to … you know, find you in the wild without any Pokemon with you. Right?”

“Yeah … huh,” the girl mumbled, yellow eyes scanning the forest with a half-smile, and she began fiddling with her hands at her dress front. “The uh … wait, you’re related to Cynthia!” She hummed, expression brightening as a faint glow surrounded her again, and she hovered around Rhea. “You have a similar aura … oh, I think I understand now; that’s why my teleport was all off!”

“What … wait, you can read auras?” Rhea slowly asked. Mya had dashed back to her side, glaring at the floating girl suspiciously. “Do you know my aunt?”

“Mhm, mhm! We meet every so often,” the girl said with a tinkling laugh. “She can be pretty scary when she wants something. You can call me Mepi!”

The girl froze in the air as Lyra and Hilbert walked out of the underbrush; Lyra had a super-bright expression and a hop in her step. “Ah, Mepi! Now, what could you be doing … oh…” In the starlight, it was a bit hard to see, but Rhea caught a sly smirk slide up the woman’s glossy lips. “Is that…”

Mepi’s facial expression fractured with a wince. “L-Lyra … oh, uh … oh-no, why did it have to be you?” She groaned, legs and arms tightening as a large glowing figure appeared in the sky. “Oof … he found me.”

Rhea’s mouth dropped open and Sam looked like she was about to faint; 8”4, layered with flowing silky hair, and releasing a warm yellow glow, Entei touched down in the field without a sound, intense red eyes fixated on Mepi.

“... Hey, Entei…”

Lyra squealed. “Entei; it’s been years! Oh, come here, don’t be shy!”

Hilbert folded his arms with a deep frown, glancing at Rhea and Sam with concern. “Lyra, are you sure this is okay?”

Lyra dashed over to the Volcano Pokemon, her dress fluttered in the hilly breeze. She wrapped her arms around his neck, cheek rubbing against his fur. “Oh, you’re always the fluffiest of your brothers, and you're even suppressing your aura for the girls. I love your fur so much!” Her voice was muffled while nuzzling his chest.

Pulling away, she grinned at Hilbert. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Rhea probably can’t even sense his aura; these guys can be total ghosts if they want to!” She huffed with pride. “Wait, if you’re here…”

Rhea pulled her focus away from the Legendary Pokemon to watch the color drain from Mepi’s face. “Ho-Oh…”

The dark sky lit like the noonday sun as a presence even more powerful than her aunt’s Garchomp descended from the clouds. It came as if out of thin air, and a sweeping wave of fathomless rejuvenating rays exploded across everything below it; unlike a compressive force like Lila, the Rainbow Pokemon’s aura filled her breast with an explosive strength that chased away all soreness and left her invigorated.

Even while still high within the clouds, Ho-Oh’s colossal form was well over a hundred meters long, making him easily visible with the naked eye. Multi-colored lights danced across the heavens, blotting out the starry sky, and judging by its current position, it was hovering over Viridian City.

A majestic call roared across the land as Ho-Oh made his presence known; from what Rhea’s father told her, this Pokemon was probably within the top 15 most powerful on the planet. He wasn’t even sure if her aunt could take him on with her entire team.

“No, no, no, no…” Mepi groaned, hands running down her face. “You guys are such bullies!” She shouted, pointing at Entei. “I just want to go north…”

Sam was already on the ground, eyes swimming, and out of the corner of Rhea’s vision, she caught Lyra’s Porygon-Z lifting the recovered Nidorino into the air so he couldn’t run; Ho-Oh’s restorative pressure appeared to heal everything throughout the entire Viridian City-State.

Lyra whistled, gently stroking Entei’s fur while looking up at the glorious Bird-Pokemon. “He doesn’t do something like this often, which means … Lusamine.”

Ho-Oh dropped into a dive-bomb, moving at mind-bending speeds before shifting his trajectory right to them, and within seconds his massive form passed overhead, causing a wave of warm air to pull their hair along with the gale and press their dresses against their bodies.

Even though he was gone, the Legendary Pokemon’s presence hadn’t dissipated, continuing to brighten the entire sky with dazzling rainbows.

Rhea tamed her hair and clothing, watching him pass by; he seemingly landed not too far from them and Lyra somehow hoped all the way up to Entei’s back, spreading across his thick mane with a giggle. “Okay, Hilbert, watch over the girls for me for just a little bit; I need to see what’s going on.”

“Uh … alright,” Hilbert mumbled, scratching the back of his head with his cap, “but you know I don’t have a Pokemon that can teleport … well, not that anyone can use it right now with that abnormal Defog he’s doing.”

“Right, right,” Lyra nodded with realization. “Umm … I’ll leave Zelri with you just in case I take a bit longer than expected. Entei will bring me back. Is that cool?” She asked, leaning over with a bright smile.

To Rhea’s shock, a smooth, deep voice bloomed in her mind as the Volcano Pokemon spoke. “Of course, Lady Lyra.”

“Hehe, still with the lady stuff, huh?” She cooed.

“Lady Amira has grown quite large since I’ve last seen her.”

“Oh, yes, that’s right,” Lyra hummed, lying on her belly; it looked like she wanted to make a snow angel out of the Pokemon’s fur. “The last time you saw her … huh. Well,” her perky attitude returned in an instant, “Mepi, let’s get going! You know you can’t teleport with Ho-Oh restricting it everywhere.”

Mepi’s cute first appearance and playful mannerisms had vanished in an instant; she’d fallen onto the ground right next to Sam. It was as if the world was crashing around her. “Why is it never easy…”

“C’mon, c’mon!” Lyra called.

The girl’s cheeks bunched in a small pout as her psychic aura returned and she began floating into the air. Entei took a few steps into the sky; what appeared to be burning steps appeared below his paws.

Mepi gave a low hiss. “The Ho-Oh gang are all bullies!” She moaned, dejectedly following them as Entei sped up, vanishing beyond the treeline.

Sam looked more confused than anything else. “Heh … uh, yeah … what’s going on, Rhea?”

Rhea slowly shook her head. “I have no clue…”

Hilbert told them that he had no idea what was actually happening; if they wanted to know about the Swords of Justice, Forces of Nature, or Tao Trio, then he was the guy, but Kanto and Johto weren’t his stomping ground. He seemed a bit preoccupied with something else, though, since he kept glancing to the southeast, which was the opposite way of Ho-Oh.

It took a bit for Sam and her to calm down, but eventually, they managed to get everything settled; the rainbows in the sky vanished several minutes after Lyra left, but she didn’t return. Once Hilbert heard Tera’s story and how Nidorino had killed her mother, he sent the former area boss to a place he couldn’t cause the same kind of trouble, asking Zelri to teleport him.

Sam finally explained to Tera the probable fate of her mom, which broke the girl’s heart. She cried herself to sleep in Sam’s arms, using Rhea’s 2-man tent; they shared it for the night since Sam’s had been ruined. Mya stood guard outside; her Mawile gained quite a bit of strength from defeating the Nidorino, gaining the Fake Tears Move.

Rhea was a little salty that she didn’t take a picture of Ho-Oh as he went over, which kept her up a bit, mentally beating herself up. Rhea drifted between events, but the big highlights had been beating a Low Silver-tier with cheeky tactics, which couldn’t have been done without a Master Ball or her exceptional Pokemon, Sam getting her second Pokemon, helping the little Phanpy out of a horrible situation, and seeing Ho-Oh.

Mya kept guard through the night; Nova unwillingly fell asleep soon after Ho-Oh disappeared, compelled by her over-emotional mind. Her Eevee had made some solid first steps at overcoming her phobia of mud today. After a bit, Rhea’s droopy eyes dropped her into oblivion.

* * *

Lyra couldn’t stop smiling; she loved the energies released by the Tower Duo and their helping subordinate Legendary Beasts; even if she was stronger than the three now, their force was unique. She liked them a lot better than the mercurial tempered Legendary Birds. Lugia was always having to slap them atop the head; she wondered how his family was doing.

The cute female Lugia that relocated to their world through an Ultra Wormhole nine years ago was much younger and weaker than him, the dirty old man, but Lyra was happy they got along so well.

They came up to a large canyon within the sierra; Ho-Oh stood on a rise, wings folded back while he waited for them. He’d shrunk in size to give them more privacy, but few would venture so high onto Mt. Silver, fewer still that could get there with any decent speed.

Hopping off her ride, Lyra held her skirt down as she dropped, landing on her feet before adjusting her outfit. “So…” She gave a side-long look at Mepi, landing beside her.

“What … I like taking this form when around humans!” She defended with a soft huff.

“Mepi, too?” Lyra asked with a small smirk.

“It works,” she defended, releasing a soft white glow while transforming back into her original form. Once finished, a semi-annoyed Mesprit hovered beside her. “Well, you’re at least happier now … you can be scary with emotions,” she grumbled.

Lyra’s smile fell a little, folding her arms as Ho-Oh studied them, high above on his perch. “Why are you in Kanto … judging by the teleport. You were snooping around the hospital Lusamine was in before Rhea and Sam’s strong emotions in battle drew your teleport off-target.”

“Arceus…” Mepi mumbled.

“That’s what I want to know,” said a booming noble voice around them, coming from all angles, which caused the Mesprit to jump. “What has he discovered?”

“Y-You know, heh, you can always ask him instead of using me as … you know, a middle girl. I just do what I’m told.” When everyone glared at her, she sighed, “I hate getting caught in the middle … why don’t you two make up? He could come see things himself, you could get along again…”

“... We haven’t gotten along for eons.”

“That’s what happens when you take over someone else’s project,” Mesprit half mumbled. “No, well, not like he was doing much with the planet, right? Just Pokemon poppin’ outta Wormholes all the time…”

“What have you learned?” Ho-Oh’s tone was a demand, and Lyra knew why; he wanted to be prepared this time. After all, he almost died eight years ago, and he wasn’t the only one.

“The Wormholes … are slowly unsealing,” Mepi reluctantly mumbled, playing with her tails and hands. “It’s not exactly linked to Lusamine, but … she is a significant beacon for a third source to latch onto … if you catch my meaning.”

“Nihilego…” Ho-Oh growled, clearly holding animosity for the swarming creatures. “So … the second war will start in a few years. Do you have a date?”

“No, I don’t,” the Mesprit sheepishly whispered. “It will probably be random at first … like it used to be, and then … depending on if those guys are still alive, they’ll find a way to control them again.”

A low sigh left Ho-Oh’s lungs. “... It’s confirmed then. Lyra.”

“Mhm?!” She chimed, giving him a salute; she was on their team all the way. The Creation Trio were split since Giratina was extremely fond of Cynthia. Dialga and Palkia were also occasionally at odds with Arceus, too, which didn’t help things. It was always drama with them, but Lugia and Ho-Oh were fun and straight to the point, just how she liked it.

“I need to know what effect my powers had on the woman … if any.”

“You got it, Boss!”

“Hmm … the more time we can buy, the more information we can gain.”

Lyra nodded. “I’ll keep ya updated!”

He released a soft chuckle. “I haven’t met a human I liked more in millennia.”

“Aww, you don’t have to butter me up,” Lyra giggled. “I like you guys, too,” she cooed, snuggling into Entei’s chest again.

Mepi gave her a raised eye that said she was crazy but swiftly tried to hide it when she thought she was looking. “Can I go now?”

The lights illuminating the heavens faded, and the Mesprit swiftly vanished in multi-hued lights. “I’m so gonna get yelled at,” she groaned. “Bullies…” She huffed, sticking out her tongue as a final act.

Lyra had to admit, she was pretty cute. Still, the drama the Emotion Clique brought was something she could do without in her hectic life.

“Well, Entei … guess we got some dark clouds again,” she mumbled. Lyra had hoped the untested and utterly unknown seal Lusamine used would last her daughter’s lifetime. It seemed it had only stalled them a decade. “Guess I should be calling my father-in-law … aww, but he’s got so much on his plate right now. At least, Ethan and Iris have chilled out.”

Her thoughts momentarily turned to Hilbert.

Poor boy … it’ll be tough trying to catch up to that crazy girl, but it’s possible. He just needs to find that spark again … both Hilda and him. They’re too blinded by how bright the dragon girl shines.