9:33 A.M. June 30, Tuesday, 106 PH (Post Hoopa Event)

Events: The Joint Kanto and Johto Indigo Summer League is nearing its climax; 105 Trainers and their Pokemon have battled through the brackets to reach the finals. Tomorrow is the final day of the Summer Round Robin Cup, where Trainers from each Tier will be named Seasonal Best, and to conclude, the tournament will be the momentous event to determine the fate of Vermilion Gym—Saria Surge vs. Visquez.

Our girl started her journey on the 9th of June—she’s been a Trainer for 21 Days (20 Officially; 21 since getting Maya and Nova).

Rhea puffed out a long sigh with a groan, shifting her arm to her forehead was the light feeding through her tent to stimulate her mind. Mmgm … What time is it?

She got a few answers from Mya, who apparently hadn’t been the only one to rise before their Trainer; for the first time in the twenty-one days since they’d been bonded, Nova was up and humming to her own beat before Rhea. Alice seemed to have entered her pokeball after Nova got up to let her hang out with Amber.

Mmh … 9:00 Mya … 9:33 Nova? Uh … hehehe, thirty-three minutes is a big difference, Mya.

The soft laughter of Lori, Kekipi, and Heneli’s voices caused another stream of air to breeze past Rhea’s lips as her Pokemon greeted her. Ugh … Lori’s up before me? Gah, I still feel a bit tired … Heh, no, I’m good—

Her little Eevee jumped back inside the tent, making Rhea’s eyes open as she leaned against her bare stomach, crying in worry. Wha—no! Nova, you didn’t kill me with that attack—it was a lot of energy, but—hey, no! I’m not going back to the hospital … C’mon, guys…

Rhea chuckled, leaning to the right to pet Nova's head. We did what we needed to … That wouldn’t have worked if I didn’t have you in Master Balls, either … Mmgm…

Dropping to her back, she pulled Nova to sit on her chest and stroked her immaculate fur. I’m good … Morning, by the way, hehehe … How are the others? Good, huh … Amira’s leg is healing? Good. Welp … I should get up and going! No use sitting around in bed all day because I’m a little tired.

Rhea lifted her legs into the air, smiling at Nova as her thighs pushed her further into her chest before hoisting herself up to a sitting position with momentum. Cradling the startled Eevee in her arms, she nuzzled her face against the chirping Pokemon.

Giggling, Rhea set her Eevee to the side to run out and grab Amber; she pulled her crazy thick and long locks out of its nighttime tie to wrap it into a tight bun for the morning, grabbed her towel, and smiled while feeling it bob left and right.

She paused to check the security of her bathing suit and hair before snatching the supplies she’d need for the river and left the tent. Amber sat beside Nova, both tails wagging, yet her bright blue eyes were nabbed by the weaving flames on Fennekin’s puffy fur and burning ears.

Amira seemed to be arguing with Heneli about what to put in the pot they’d brought over for a stew; she wasn’t a fan of a few ingredients he was using. All of them were ready to hit the trail by the looks of their outfits and packed bags.

“It’s ruined without the berries—”

“Go ahead, but I’m not going to eat a super sour dish with the amount you’re dumping in that thing—oh, Rhea, umm, how are you feeling?”

“You didn’t catch a bug last night?” Kekipi asked; the black rings under his eyes were gone. “Heard we gotta be careful around Kanto with some of the viruses this time of year.”

“Naa, she’s good,” Lori interjected, giving her a thumbs up. “Just needed a bit of beauty sleep, eh-heh, not that she needs it—right boys?!”

“Uh, yeah, I’m good.”

Kekipi’s worry vanished at Rhea’s forced laugh and nod. “Glad you’re not feeling sick, and yeah, I won’t deny all of you are pretty in your own ways—personality and looks.”

“Bro, how can you just come out and say that stuff?” Kekoa grumbled, scratching his forehead and digging around his bag for a knife to use on some vegetables.

“Woah, Kekoa,” Lori smirked, lifting an eyebrow in his direction, “you sayin’ we aren’t hot stuff?”

“I’m not blind … Kekipi’s just never had a filter—I don’t get it.”

“Aye,” Heneli flashed his teeth and took a short pose, “ya can’t be leavin’ us out, either—who’s got the smolder, huh?”

Kekipi laughed with everyone else. “Dude, you need to gain another thirty pounds of muscle and a few inches to pull that off.”

“Yo, don’t hate! I got the face of a stud, plus I can cook!”

“Cooking and looks; the deadly combo!” Lori grinned. “Naa, you guys aren’t bad to look at, hehehe.”

Amira’s full lips tightened upon looking at the pot Heneli was fixing. “The cooking part has yet to be tested…”

Heneli’s eyes sparkled, jabbing his thumb back at the confused redhead while looking at his boys. “Yo, you are that; we’re pretty hot stuff ourselves—we’ve proved it already!”

“Huh … You must be out of your mind; I didn’t say that,” Amira muttered as Lori and Kekipi laughed.

“No take-backs! Woah, wait—what was that dance, Lori … Check it! Ugh! Yeah!”

Rhea moved around the boy as Mallory jumped in to set up a short with Heneli to take her items to the river, waving them off with a laugh. “Be back in a bit.”

Amber followed Nova by her side, and Rhea was a little surprised Mya let Alice take her place for the first half of the morning; today, they’d reach Cerulean City, so they didn’t need to have someone take guard duty.

Going a bit further downstream from the crowd, Rhea caught sight of a Golbat, likely one of the Ranger’s friends. Out of view from the camp, she took a little more time to unwind and play with Nova and Alice in the water.

Amber wasn’t a fan of being splashed, so she happily watched, waiting for Rhea to finish, and after a minute, she splashed cold water on her face and scrubbed off the morning gunk. Nova and Alice ran back to grab her clothes since she’d forgotten them, and by the time she was done, the pair returned.

After recharging, she felt a lot better and returned to the camp to pack up; the food was served shortly after, and Rhea had a fun time with the louder-than-normal environment.

It was 10:55 A.M. by the time Amber had finished drying the towel, the area was cleaned up, and they were ready to hit the trail. Jason returned the text she sent five minutes previously, saying he was all for hanging around Cerulean to chill; their party was planning to hang around until the future of the Vermilion Gym was decided.

The Alolan group were utterly bewildered by the discussion as Rhea brought it up; they didn’t know much about Gyms and weren’t aware it could flip Leaders and Types.

Amira adjusted her bag and braided hair as they moved down the Blue Forest’s uneven dirt pathway, glancing between the various Pokemon surrounding them. “It’s pretty important, actually,” she muttered, speaking to Kekipi, but the others hushed to listen.

She unclipped her phone to project a holographic image. “Kanto’s Gym Types have remained the same forever … Practically since the System was implemented, excluding when Blue took over the Viridian Gym.”

“Wait, huh—that’s, uh, your grandpa’s Gym—how’d that happen?”

“Long story,” Amira sighed, fingers tightening around her crystal device. “Back to the topic, though—all of the Gym Leaders have extensive experience in the level of opposition they need to give to a challenger to satisfy the League requirements … In Vermilion, that might change.”

“Umm,” Rhea cleared her throat, pulling their attention as their Pokemon raced ahead, playing by the creek they walked beside. “I’ve met with Saria; she wants to make it into a Fairy specialized Gym, and she’s pretty strong.”

A soft rumble shook in Amira’s throat. “Right … The way I see it, this change is more significant than that. You know her, right?”

Nodding at the question, Rhea smiled while looking inward at Mya. “Fairy Pokemon have always been my favorite Type; maybe I’m biased, but I got along well with Saria when she’d stop by our village. It’s a small place, so everyone knows when a visitor comes.”

“Hmm…” Amira blew up the image of the blonde, blue-eyed woman that had been taken while out in her city. “I don’t know much about her myself, but what I can tell you is that if she wins and changes the Gym, there’s going to be a massive shift in the perception of the Kanto League.”

“I’m not trying to question you,” Kekipi said, leaning in to look at the search results of the woman, “but how is it a big deal?”

“For one, Fairy Pokemon are the least represented Type, which is deceptive because it’s a phenomenal Typing, although fewer on the number of various Pokemon she could pick. I suspect she'll be allowed to choose Pokemon with the Fairy Off-Type in Silver and above. Most Gyms require you to only battle with a Primary-Type in Bronze and Silver.”

“I can see that being troublesome,” Kekoa muttered. “Is that all?”

“Hmm,” Lori nudged him with a grin, “think she’s cute?”

“Eh-I mean, yeah, I guess…”

“Bro! She’s like twelve years older than you!”

“Aye, I don’t know nothin’, okay! You asked if she’s cute—I said yeah…”

Heneli grinned. “Naw, Kekoa, own it, man! She’s cute—most strong Trainers tend to be, which means all of us are gonna hit the top. Am I right?”

“Haha, nice one,” Kekipi held up his fist for his teammate to bump.

Kekoa’s cheeks flushed, trying to ignore his buddies as Mallory smiled at him. “Uh—for the record, I’m not into older chicks.”

“Uh-huh?”

Rhea tuned them out as they fell back a little to joke with one another; Kekipi broke away to join them. “Go on, Amira—do you think it will change our Gym order?”

The redhead rolled around her neck and pulled up the matches in the Round Robin between the five participating Masters, showing the bracket. “As you can see, Saria and Visquez haven’t lost once, and from what I’ve been following, each match was a landslide. Both of them have been preparing their whole lives for this chance, and no one has challenged them.

“If Visquez wins, so far as I am aware, she’ll keep all the currently employed Gym Aides, and it will basically mean nothing changes, but if Saria wins…”

She trailed off, showing what appeared to be a viral clip of the woman decimating an Ice Specialist 3 vs. 6, using a Sylveon, Whimsicott, and Klefki; being a Masters’ Battle, they could use both On and Off-Type. It was over in a flash.

“I don’t even think she’s used her main team throughout this contest because she hasn’t needed to; she’s fairly low-key about her Pokemon, which is surprising considering her father’s fame. I’ve pinned down a Comfey and Mawile as her most popular.”

Rhea’s eyes shone as a picture of the woman in a gym for morning exercise lifting weights with her struggling Comfey beside her. “So cute…”

“Yeah, heh, I agree,” Amira smiled and reached up to stroke her Comfey’s head as she floated over to drape around the redhead’s neck. “It doesn’t change the fact that she’ll bring Aides no one is familiar with, and she is a total unknown.”

Kekipi folded his arms and sighed. “So, basically, everyone’s nervous because Kanto’s Gyms have decades of data and experience for us to use against them, but this is going to be totally new.”

Amira nodded, but Rhea centered on a different part of the girl’s explanation. “What about the Aides … They’ll be fired? I didn’t know that, but … I mean, I guess I understand, but their whole lives would be uprooted? I really want Saria to win … Is that bad?”

“Heh, you’re precious, Rhea,” Lori giggled, jogging up to rejoin them with the other two after they made a new clip to post. “Gyms have a month guaranteed pay for the outgoing aides; there’s plenty of work for them!”

“Mmh,” Amira shook her head, “while true, they will get paid for a month to find work, the same cannot be said about the pay other jobs offer. Gyms pay a large sum of credits, and if they can’t match the new Type to an acceptable standard, the Trainers will need to cut expenses and figure something out, but that’s the job risks of being an aide.”

Kekoa hissed. “Yeah, and I bet they thought it would be a pretty sure thing with Kanto having so many long-standing Gyms.”

“It’s really their own fault if they do end up in a rough spot; the writing has been on the wall, and the match has been in place for over a year's worth of hype. If they don’t have something set up by now in the chance the Gym Type does change, then they have no one to blame but themselves.”

“True,” Kekoa muttered. “I hadn’t thought about that.”

Amira’s focus went to Rhea again. “As to your previous question, yes, I believe it will change a lot of things, which is why I suspect many Trainers are going to be stalling in Cerulean … As you can see, we won’t be able to battle the Gym tomorrow, and we’ve missed the registration for today.”

“No way…” Mallory groaned, glaring at the website the redhead pulled up. “We could have registered earlier, right—why didn’t I think of it?”

“It wouldn’t matter; I’ve been keeping tabs on things, and the site went down for maintenance yesterday. When it came back up, battle requests flooded in.”

Rhea’s eyes widened. “You already booked a spot?”

“I reserved the right to go in and register a spot,” Amira laughed. “Gym spots are pretty tight right now with so many challengers in this League; they’re likely going through dozens of Trainers a day. I’ll tell you my thoughts if Saria wins, but Lori and I need to prepare for Misty … You ready to go over strategies?”

The purple-haired girl stretched out her back. “Sounds good—mmgh, got any thoughts about Miky’s chances?”

“Not good?”

“Eh-hehe, c’mon; there has to be something we can do!”

Rhea’s thought pulled in as the groups split into different conversations; she could feel Mya’s agitation about waiting for two Gyms before even attempting their next Encrusted Badge, but Amira’s logic was sound. If they wanted to win this, they needed to save as many credits as possible in case they did get stuck and had to restrategize.

Throughout the next six hours on their journey to the Water City, Rhea spent much of her time pondering what she should do with Jason; Rhea didn’t want to worry about things she couldn’t control, and this was supposed to be a time for her to relax from all the stress she’d had over the past three weeks.

Pulling up her three-dimensional map of the surrounding area, a few things instantly caught her attention, the first of which was the Locked Zones—Cerulean Mountain.

Unlike Tier-Restricted Zones, Locked Zones were places one needed a League permit to enter; the entire blacked-out area stretched from Cerulean Mountain to the back half of Mt. Moon and Pokemopolis until reaching the Sinjoh Desolation that separated them from Sinnoh.

Route 24 had some fun local events dealing with battle prizes and sightseeing on the long bridge walkway built on Cerulean River. It would probably be an excellent spot to eventually go; the area was one of the few locations in Kanto to find wild Abra and lead to Bill’s Lighthouse.

She definitely wanted to tour the area, and Katelin posted an image of Sabin having a picnic with her overlooking the ocean that she wanted to experience. Bill’s old cottage was on the way, which he’d turned into more of a tourist spot over the years since he owned much of the land.

Cerulean City itself had several locations she was looking forward to, and when they exited the forest to gaze across the rolling hills that lead to the sparkling metropolis, Rhea felt excitement bubbling up in her gut.

Cerulean River ran through the metropolis in a curve, showing them a stunning view of a bridge in the distance with busy streets and Pokemon spotted across the horizon as the land descended to sea level.

A golf course had been built on the path leading into the city, and people riding Pokemon, boats, or smaller floatation devices could be seen in the water. Tall skyscrapers rose into the heavens in the distant east, yet the north appeared far more centered around the older aesthetic of the city’s past.

The river split into three sections through the city, and the center curved around a colossal coliseum that was Misty’s new Gym, modeled after her own desires after saving enough money to finally begin the enormous project. It doubled as an aquarium, performance stage, and Gym. It was breathtaking to see the newly completed structure in person, and Rhea couldn’t wait to explore it.

On their path to the city, she peppered Amira with questions, pointing at various locations as the redhead happily answered her questions, and at 6:24 P.M., they made it into the outskirts of the city.

Police could be seen on the water, streets, and air as tourists drove, flew, or sailed in; unlike Apple, Pewter, and Viridian, Cerulean appeared to be far more open and relied on the officers to redirect people to the registration area.

After checking in, they all split up, Amira saying they’d handle finding a hotel and sending her the coordinates, leaving Rhea to stand with Mya and Nova to spin in a circle to take in the suburb they’d entered. Jason soon messaged her a café they could meet up in, and she followed her GPS to the location.

The streets became more rustic as she went north, and when she came to the café, her eyebrows rose while stepping into the cozy coffee shop; once the door shut behind her, the sounds of the tourist city faded into relaxing jazz that helped calm her thumping heart.

Seeing Jason beside the window, she returned his quiet wave; Rhea had to do a double-take because it could have been his shirt, but he seemed to be filling out more.

“Hey, it’s been a while since we talked,” Jason grinned, sliding his menu to her while keeping his voice low in the gentle ambiance. “I’ve been keeping up on the details from my sister but wanted to give you some space. Wrong move?”

Rhea checked her bun for a second as Mya took the chair beside her, and Nova hopped up on her lap. “No, I’m happy with the voicemail you sent. Heh, it’s just been a bit crazy.”

“Right,” he snickered, leaning back to watch Sunny sitting behind him talk to Mya; he seemed a bit nervous, “I won’t try to dig in and ask questions. Eh-haha, Sunny’s been wanting to meet Alice.”

A sly smirk lifted Rhea’s lips as the rabbit’s ears stood on end at the mention of her name, head darting to her. “Hmm?” Hey, Mya, Nova, mind giving Sunny and Alice some time? I know you haven’t been out long, Mya … Oh, thank you, Nova, Rhea giggled, feeling Mya’s annoyance but at least she wasn’t refusing to be out with the bunny now.

Returning the cheery Eevee to her pokeball, she brought Alice out; the bunny and rabbit went to the floor, and off the bat, she figured the pair were talking a mile a minute by Mya’s reserved stare. It didn’t take long for Alice to challenge him to acrobatics, which Sunny happily accepted, taking it to a Pokemon meet and greet area outside that the rabbit guided her to.

“Look at them go,” Rhea mused, watching the two race out of the door when a customer opened it.

“Heh, yeah, I figured they’d get along … So, figured out what you wanted to drink?”

Rhea glanced down and sighed. “I should get something that won’t keep me up … decaf caramel macchiato?”

“Sounds good to me—eh-I just went with something random—what I normally do when we go to places like this since I’m totally lost with this kind of stuff. You seem to know what you’re doing, though.”

“Mmh-heh, not really,” Rhea forced a grin and noticed a single woman coming out to take their order once Jason waved in her direction. “I used to make different coffee drinks with Bi; she taught me most of it.”

“Oh, nice—I saw the pictures, by the way; how is Bi?”

“Ugh … I kind of feel like I ditched her, to be honest,” Rhea mumbled, her focus turning to the brown-haired attendant as she approached, but Jason pulled both their eyes as his grin strained. “What?”

“I … may have thought you’d like to hang out with her since she’s in Kanto for a bit, so…”

“Rhea, Jason!”

Turning around in mild shock, Rhea saw her dolled-up cousin walk through the door as if waiting on the topic to make an entrance; she wore a blue dress, had her hair pulled up, and was wearing contacts. “Bi?”

“Yeah, thanks for inviting me—oh, are we ordering now?”

The waitress stepped back to allow Bianca to sit beside Jason since Mya took the other seat. “Do you need another few minutes; my name is Hailey, by the way, and … I don’t mean to be rude or intrude, but … You wouldn’t happen to be the Sinnoh Champion’s daughter and niece, would you?”

“Shhh!” Bianca hissed, glancing at the other residence, but they seemed preoccupied in their own activities.

“Sorry…”

Rhea shook her head. “It’s fine. Yes, we are, and we’re just trying to relax after a long day.”

“Of course! Umm, I’m sorry to be so forward,” she chuckled, fidgeting with her apron. “I’ll leave you to browse the menu in peace.”

“Mhm-uh,” Bianca said, pointing at Rhea. “I trust Rhea to pick something good; I’ll have what she ordered.”

“I haven't ordered yet, Bi…”

“Oh, umm, okay. Anything look good?”

Rhea slid her hand to the item she’d selected.

“Mmh, decaf caramel macchiato, hmm?” Bianca smiled. “Yeah, that works for me. Good choice, Rhea.”

“I’ll have those put in … And anything else for you, sir?”

Jason glanced down at his cup. “Eh … another hot chocolate.”

“With cream again?”

“You know it.”

“I’ll get those right now!”

Rhea let the pressure in her chest ease out, smiling at her cousin. “So, how long are you in Kanto for?”

The woman folded her arms under her breast. “Urgm…”

“Hehe, basically until Hilbert’s done being tested by all the Legends—the poor guy probably won’t get any rest.”

“He loves it, and it’s nice to see him happy,” she whispered, and Rhea could see her content smile; the woman was now enjoying her time away from the mountain village.

Jason shifted in his chair to be able to face them both. “You left all your Pokemon back home, right?”

“Mhm. I would have liked to bring them, but it didn’t quite work out that way; they basically kicked my butt out of the village to get here as fast as I could,” she tittered. “They were so worried about you, Rhea.”

“Thanks for coming, and sorry I kind of ditched you … I was kind of high on emotion and needed to just move forward.”

“Yeah, that was totally fine, but then you got attacked by that Plasma Pidgey and his lackeys,” Bianca groaned. “When are you gonna get a break, girl?”

“Heh, tell me about it.”

“Plasma Pidgey … Okay, won’t ask,” Jason held up his hands on his own, stopping himself. “Why don’t we move past the doom and gloom; you have tomorrow off. Right?”

Rhea sat back and glanced to the counter where the woman was preparing their drinks. “Mmh, at least for most of the day; at six, I want to stop at a restaurant that’s showing the Master Finals for the Summer Cup.”

“Yeah, I’m sure we can do that. So, I was thinking about hiking up Route 24 tomorrow; sound like a plan for the morning?”

“I like that idea,” Bianca smiled, accepting the drinks as Hailey returned and left without prying. “Want to meet here again tomorrow, at say … 9 A.M.?

“Works for me,” Rhea grinned, looking across the street to see Alice and Sunny leading a trick challenge battle royal with what seemed to be wild city Pokemon. “I wanted to check out the old lighthouse.”

“Oh, so romantic!” Bianca cooed, sipping at her drink. “He-he, if only Hilbert wasn’t busy, but … yeah, he’s on Mt. Silver right now.”

Rhea checked her phone as it buzzed, getting the address for their hotel and the message that they’d signed up to face Misty on the 4th. They had a few days in the city, which was good, and gave her time with Jason and her cousin.

“Looks like Lori and Amira take on Misty on the 4th. You guys have already beaten Misty, right?”

Jason grinned. “Yup, got my Bolder and Cascade Badges; two down, two to go.”

“Mmh,” Bianca leaned forward to study him. “You’ve been pretty mysterious about your new team addition on social media; not going to show us?”

“Tomorrow,” Jason laughed. “He’s sleeping right now, but Misty wasn’t easy, let me tell you—wait, are you not battling her, Rhea?”

“Nope. Right now, I’m looking at Erika being my first, then probably Janine since Mya has Poison immunity.”

Her Mawile’s large head nodded emphatically, eagerly licking her lips.

“Huh, so you’ve got it all mapped out? What’s the…”

His voice died as the door opened to reveal a soaking wet boy, speaking fairly loudly. “Ugh—do you have a bathroom I can use?”

A few patrons snickered, and a man in the back got up. “Yo, I got ya.”

“Look at him, Joe,” his buddy mirrored his friend, “did he fall into the lake?”

“Swam, actually,” the boy groaned, looking down at the water he trailed. “Oh, sorry about this…”

Hailey grimaced. “Could you please not soak my ‘wooden’ floor and take it to the back.”

“No need, Hailey,” the man said, tossing his pokeball out to reveal a Magcargo; more than a few people straightened as the large, 4” tall lava slug’s liquid bubbled, but it seemed to be very capable at controlling its heat because the wood didn’t instantly catch fire. “Kelsey will have ya dry in a snap.”

“Yo, sweet—thanks, man! My name’s Ari—woah, that’s some heat!” he laughed as a controlled wave of air funneled out of the Pokemon’s mouth to only focus on the boy, acting as a blow dryer.

“You could have taken it outside, Joe,” Hailey grumbled from the bar.

He winked at her. “How could I impress you then—we still on for Friday?”

“Only if you don’t burn down my business—I sank my life’s savings into this place.”

“Look, I’m pulling in more customers; it’s not every day people see a Master-tier Magcargo.”

“Mhm … It’s getting a bit too loud, though,” she grumbled, glancing nervously at them. “Realy, Joe.”

“Aye, no problem, Hailstorm; c’mon, Ari, let’s go out and get ya dry!”

“Uh, sorry, Ma’am!” Ari said, rubbing his neck and smiling apologetically. “I’ll get outta your hair.”

Hailey blushed as Joe called out his pet name for her but kept her composure well, and her face softened when the two left; Rhea could tell she was glad Joe stepped up to help the boy. “Sorry for the commotion.”

“What are you saying sorry for?” Joe’s buddy asked. “You’re an angel—oh, but if ya wanna give me a free drink…”

“You can pay for it.”

“Aww-he-he.”

“An odd guy,” Jason laughed, getting to his feet. “You want to hang out for a bit before it gets too late?”

“Sure!” Rhea chimed, rising with Bianca.

They left the store, noticing a striped Ari in the alley as they passed, only clothed in his swimming trunks; Kelsey was swiftly drying off his shirt and pants, but Rhea caught the glint of an Encrusted Bronze Boulder Badge on the cap he’d extracted from his bag.

Wandering around the jazzy Cerulean district, they enjoyed the smooth vibe the sounds impressed and watched a few street performances from Silver-tier Trainers with their Pokemon.

A water show was put on at 8 P.M. at the river for the public, which seemed to be sponsored and hosted by the Cerulean Gym’s Master Aides.

It was something else, watching ten Gyarados mega evolve to then perform a mock battle in a play between rival kingdoms, and there was even a romance between the conflicting lands that had Bianca in tears as the prince and princess kissed in the end.

Jason had been enthralled by the performative and controlled battles, whose attacks a floating Cloyster had blocked to provide a more entertaining show. It looked scary, but that was the thrill of it, and the Moves weren’t nearly at their full power from Rhea’s experience, but the crowd didn’t seem to know the difference.

Rhea had to giggle at her bunny and Jason’s rabbit as they spent the whole night getting to know each other; at first, it was about challenges for Alice, yet once things started to quiet down, she began to learn more about his life in Kalos.

Her best friend guided the conversation to escorting Bianca and her to their selected hotels as the night came to a close to their amusement; it was something he wanted to do after watching a few old movies, and she knew Bianca had her own headcanon when it came to Rhea and Jason’s friendship.

The blonde Master made her thoughts very clear that she approved of Jason some time ago, but Rhea could only see him as her only real friend outside of her family while growing up.

Mallory asked quite a few questions about their time out and was a bit disappointed when she learned he’d also invited Bianca. Amira seemed to be sad she missed the show but discovered it would be held again in three days, so she could still see it.

After a good day, Rhea settled into bed with Mya and Nova and drifted off to sleep; she could only hope tomorrow would be as good as today had been—excluding the Pidgey assassination—but that’s beside the point; she had a wonderful day.