10:19 a.m. July 20th, Monday, 106 PH (Post Hoopa Event)

Events: Rhea and the girls have decided to push toward Silver-tier instead of the Bronze Bracket they’re on. Our girl started her journey on the 9th of June—she’s been a Trainer for 41 Days (40 officially; 41 since getting Maya and Nova). Lori’s first Silver-tier Gym victory, even if it is a bittersweet moment in her life!

Exiting the stadium to claps and highlights of Miky’s battle against the borderline Silver-tier Abra, Mallory held Terri in her left arm and her stunned Impidimp in her right. Lori had to brush off the crushing reality that compressed her heart after their victory, which marked the end of her bond with Miky.

A blue-haired boy passed her on his way to battle the legendary rookie crusher, looking somewhat hopeful while saying something to her; she wasn’t listening, offering the best encouraging smile she could muster. All the emotions she’d suppressed rising to the surface.

She tried to salvage what she could with Miky, and the hard part was that he acknowledged her efforts, yet it didn’t mean she could repair what had already been broken. Now, she was left rearranging her heart and mind, trying to determine how she should act, and there was the problem—she had always known what mask to wear—she wasn’t sure now.

Lori could tell Miky that she was happy he was moving on to other things—she wasn’t—but she could tell him that, and he wouldn’t even know it was a lie since he’d drifted away from her soul; the thought hurt, and the next few minutes went by like a blur.

Shauntal stood inside the locker room, surrounded by young and old Silver-tier Trainers, attempting to gain any bit of advice possible from the Unovan Elite-4 member, totally oblivious to how stuck Lori was in her skin.

Roxie snuggled next to her spirit, offering what support she could, and Gables left his Poke Ball now that the battle was over, spending time with Miky while giving Lori a chance to catch her breath after everything sunk in.

We won… but it doesn’t make it easier… When will it get easier?

Releasing the tension in her chest with a slow sigh, Lori wasn’t exactly sure when they left the locker room. Shauntal took the brunt of the throng, answering questions before using one of her many ghost tricks to allow them to slip away.

Now in the nearly empty hallway, everyone watching the next match, she rubbed her shoulders as chills came on. Miky was ahead of her with Terri and Gables, recreating the battle with the Froakie; he was asking the Impidimp what he thought of the overwhelming win—Lori couldn’t even begin to decipher Miky’s answers, to her sorrow.

“Sinking in?” Shauntal whispered, bumping their hips to snap her out of her melancholy thoughts.

Lori forced a smile, knowing Amira, Rhea, and Ash would be joining them soon, most likely. “Tell me it gets easier…”

“Mmh… Sure, in time, but any bond that failed to solidify will generally have that same effect on one party,” her sister said, finding her fingers to squeeze them. “Casey’s going to be here tonight, right?”

“Mhm,” was all she could reply, mind oddly blank yet heart filled with questions.

If she’d done something differently, would she have been able to repair what she’d broken? If only she’d treated Miky better. Was this for the best? Should she try to push harder? Was Miky thinking about it, as well? Did he want her to ask him to stay?

Was she being selfish? Could she be selfish? She didn’t know what she could lose, and it was killing her to know it was her fault, and this win didn’t wipe away Miky’s little broken heart that she’d shattered.

Filled with regret, she used her free hand to twist around Miky’s Master Ball, watching him laugh and play with Gables and Terri. The memories they’d shared were breaking her in two, and it felt like she was being cast away; why couldn’t he see that, or could he?

What about the Plasma incident they shared? What about the time they’d spent together over the past month? They hadn’t been apart since meeting, yet now he was leaving her to pick up the pieces.

She was being selfish. Maybe that was okay; maybe it wasn’t. Still, she knew he would be happier on a different path than the one Roxie, Gables, Terri, and she was on. He didn’t want to hurt her, even if the pain in her chest told her to find someone to blame. She had to internalize that it was over, and ignoring it wasn’t going to help this black hole inside of her.

“What do I do with his Poke Ball?” Lori mumbled, feeling powerless and lost as her sister guided her through the halls.

Shauntal pressed her shoulder against hers. “Do you want to do this now?”

“I promised him,” she numbly said, looking at him several meters ahead of them, trying to keep up with Terri as she used the wall to do flips and tricks for some reason; it was painful, not knowing what they were doing. “Melanie will be here to pick him up around six.”

Her sister was silent for a moment, gauging what to say next, no doubt. “Christie is here, and Poke Balls can’t be reused; she is licensed to handle Master Balls, so she can handle the deactivation process. I think Miky would like to spend a bit more time with his friends and live out this high while he can, though.”

Lori’s pace slowed as her sister’s words sank in, and Roxie nuzzled her spirit in agreement. Trying to keep the heat from rising up her face, her focus went to the smooth, polished floor; she didn’t like the way this story had been written, and all her mistakes replayed on repeat in her mind, searching for the missing pieces to fix everything.

“You’re right… I’m letting my own emotions ruin it for everyone,” she swallowed, streaming out the air trapped in her lungs. “I know he doesn’t hate me or everyone else…”

“It hurts. I know,” Shauntal soothed, pulling her closer into a hug. “I know you want it to be over, and don’t, and it’s all confusing.”

“So confusing,” she mumbled. “Can we change the ending of this story? You’re the writer.”

“Hehe. I wish it were that simple, Lori. It’s just a part of learning life—people and Pokemon—are complicated. You think you’ve prepared yourself, but it always comes in waves. Look at Miky…”

Lori followed her prompt, seeing the grin on his face as he ran after Terri; he looked so free, experiencing none of the weight compressing Lori’s heart, and her sister squeezed her shoulder.

“You’re too trapped blaming yourself, Little Sis. Miky never did want to be a champion; he wanted to have fun with friends, and you gave him that. You showed him the world and how big it is. He may not remain your Pokemon, but he will always be your friend, thankful for what you’ve given him.”

A small smile lifted her cheeks, spotting Amira, Rhea, Ash, Christie, and Lyra turning the corner. “It’s perspective, huh? Thanks, Shanny,” she whispered. “I’ve always been a bit of a blockhead.”

“We’re all vulnerable in our own way,” her sister reassured. “I know it’s hard when you let someone inside that walled heart of yours, and even harder to forgive yourself. For what it’s worth, Miky’s forgiven you—so you don’t have to pull away, even if it hurts to remain close. Love hurts sometimes.”

“Yeah… It’ll be okay.”

Letting the reality sink in, Lori greeted her team, noticing all of their Pokemon congratulating an embarrassed Miky on his win, and the negative feelings melted away.

Speaking to Roxie, if anything, to get it off her chest, she whispered, I’m really going to miss him.

Her Rockruff’s tiny arms enclosed her spirit, pulling her into a hug no one but Gables could see as she whipped away a tear, knowing Miky did truly enjoy their time together.

Rhea’s beaming face drew Lori out of the pit she’d sunk into; the blonde couldn’t stop talking about how she and Miky were amazing, and she could see how much it meant to her Impidimp when the girl’s powerful Pokemon congratulated him on all the hard work she’d put in had paid off.

Lyra swept them away to a restaurant to celebrate—ice cream for the Pokemon, food for the humans—not that Lori could get into the mood. It was all a whirlwind to Lori as she studied Miky’s reactions.

It was becoming easier to accept, and she had to take pictures to remember the day, especially when Miky pinned his Silver-Encrusted badge on the red ribbon around his neck. She caught him eyeing himself in the windows they passed as they walked the city, likely to reassure himself it wasn’t a dream that he’d won such a big competition.

The more Lori watched him, the more she became convinced the decision to part was right, and Lyra shared several stories about her own experience that solidified the feeling.

We’re advancing too fast, she told Gables and Roxie as they browsed a store; Amira and Rhea’s Pokemon wanted to get their own gifts to the Impidimp, who didn’t want to cause trouble, but they insisted.

Holding a sleeping Terri in her arms and brushing off the many questions or glances she got from possessing a Legendary, she noticed a few differences and challenges between the reactions their group was getting.

Rhea’s Cosmog acted like a repellant; most people were terrified of the possibility that she would open an Ultra Wormhole and cause chaos to unfold around them. Yet, the Pokemon was totally oblivious to the cold shoulder of the Pokemon around the city, playing with her team, and Nova seemed to take on the bulk of the babysitting responsibilities as the Nebula Pokemon rode the Eevee around.

Amira’s Mythical Pokemon was the opposite, drawing packs of people to fawn over the gorgeous, uniquely red-haired Aria Forme Meloetta—comments about the pair being gorgeous twins were thrown around—and everyone wanted a picture with the elegant Rocket girl, which was totally not something the girl was used to, yet she handled it like a natural celebrity.

Of course, Lyra’s massive, cute Pokemon drew a lot of attention away from her daughter, as well, which was likely calculated. The mother seemed to know just when she needed to draw people away so her daughter wouldn’t be overwhelmed.

Terri was a hit among the healthy martial arts community of Saffron, and several almost looked like they would burst into tears upon learning her name, showing Saffron Dojo’s Master had left a big impact on the city before her coma.

It had been her passion to bring the dojo and martial arts back into the limelight after psychic schools popped up everywhere around the city. She’d succeeded in keeping the spirit of the school alive through her short, but powerful legacy. Rhea made a few odd expressions whenever Terri’s name came up, yet Lori didn’t push the observation.

Overall, between all the interactions they had throughout the hours, the truth of what Miky really felt began to solidify, and she couldn’t believe she’d been so blind to it before.

Christie obviously has an agenda when it came to her daughter—an understandable one, given what the blonde shared with them about her parents’ past—and it revolved around making her daughter the strongest Trainer in the world to spare her from the nightmarish trauma her mother had lived through.

Lori could empathize with the emotion; she felt powerless when it came to the burn on her back, and Christie had worked her entire life to make sure her daughter wouldn’t feel that same helplessness she’d felt when she had been a prisoner of Rainbow Rocket.

Christie had minimized the chance that Rhea could feel betrayal by keeping her in a little bubble, surrounded by a very few select kids that were involved in the Master’s community. At the same time, while Lori understood the reasons for it, she also couldn’t have forgiven her parents if they’d done the same to her.

Then again, she’d been given a healthy degree of freedom to figure things out for herself growing up. It still made Lori somewhat jealous about how caring, selfless, and bright her golden-locked teammate could be.

Rhea was always trying to support everyone else, which was her real superpower—and her weakness; Lori wanted to protect her from herself at times when so many people swarmed her, and she never turned them away.

It made Lori wonder how her teammates would handle the situation she was in. Would they have as much trouble as her? No, they’d never be in her situation. Maybe that wasn’t true, but she told herself that nonetheless.

Sitting on a park bench with her sister, she watched their Pokemon play as they took a short break to cool off after all the attention they got while in the heart of the city; Zelri, Lyra’s Porygon-Z, could manipulate light in a way that made it challenging to focus on them, giving them relief.

When it came down to it, Miky saw exactly what Lori saw, but Lori hadn’t connected it to how her Pokemon felt, which was yet another mistake on her part. She’d seen Amira and Rhea’s rapid progress like a shining star; naturally, her own Pokemon would see the same with their own teammates.

Terri was asleep in her lap, having used up all her energy throughout the morning; she didn’t appear to have the most endurance yet, showing she was still growing, and her focus went to Roxie as she broke away to join her, letting Holly and Alice have their time with Miky.

“Huu-haaa.”

“What’s up?” Shauntal asked, drawing her attention as her Rockruff jumped up to let her sister pet her, with Gables settling next to her spirit.

Lori followed Nova and Lulu with her eyes as Rhea threw the ball for them to chase. “I’m an idiot.”

“At least you’re self-aware,” her sister snickered, nudging her thigh. “C’mon, be specific.”

“Ouch. Hehe,” Lori smirked, shooting a light glare at her grinning big sister. “Rhea and her Aura training. Amira, with that insane brain of hers… Their Pokemon just keep growing stronger, and what did I do? I had Miky out all the time, trying to catch up when all he saw was himself holding Roxie and Gables back. Do you feel like you can’t keep up, Gables?”

Her Froakie crossed his arms inside his Poke Ball, showing her that he was taking her question seriously, and Roxie yawned on her sister’s lap, telling her that she didn’t feel inferior; of course, she was genetically bred and engineered to be powerful, which was part of the problem in their team balance that she was coming to realize.

Gables gave her an answer that surprised her, though, looking at Rhea; it took a few minutes of silence to interpret his answer properly, yet his emotions fed through in a way she hadn’t considered.

“Figure it out?” Shauntal asked. “Want to share with the class?”

“Heh… Mukin’ Rhea,” Lori sighed, rubbing her tight neck. “Gables is telling me it doesn’t matter because Rhea’s Aura is designed to support all of her friends, as she told us, so… it’s stupid worrying about things when all we need to do is believe in our friends.”

“A wise starter you have,” her sister whispered, rubbing the shiny blue Pokemon’s head. “Do you remember chasing me out of your room whenever I’d stay too long, and you told me I couldn’t focus on writing while worrying about you?”

“It was true,” Lori grunted. “It wasn’t like you hanging out around me all the time, worrying I’d burst into flames was doing any of us good…”

“See? Hehe. You can’t let people worry about you because it makes you feel guilty. Tell me I’m wrong.”

“Meh. I mean, sure,” she said, shifting uncomfortably. “All I remember growing up is Mom and Dad spending so much time and resources trying to fix me. It’s not fun feeling like a… Oh… Gah! How many things am I missing lately,” she grumbled, looking at Roxie.

Shauntal let go of a long stream of air. “Obviously, my point.”

“Which is?”

“Miky isn’t confident in himself, which festered until it reached a breaking point. Trust in yourself, Lori; look what you were able to accomplish when you put your mind to it. Even Caitlin and Sabrina were impressed by the strategy you came up with.”

Lori shrugged. “Sure, it only cost me 30,000 credits to execute—on a steal. I can’t do that every time. Amira wins all her battles without resorting to the pay-to-win approach of buying the TM she needs to make it easier. I’m just taking another shortcut,” she mumbled, rubbing her arm.

“Victory is victory, Lori,” her sister returned. “There’s nothing wrong with using everything at your disposal to make the battle easier, or securing a win before the match begins, which is what Sabrina tries to teach those that face her Gym.

“You have to go into a seemingly impossible match and find a way to win. You did it. I don’t see Rhea and Amira jumping to face Sabrina. Yet, you did, and you heard Sabrina’s comments at the end. You are Silver-tear. Take pride in that, Little Sis… because I’m proud of you.”

“Aww. Thanks, Shanny.” She leaned over to hug her, feeling a bit better. “What am I going to do in the future, though? I don’t want to make Pokemon lose their confidence like with Miky—even if unintentional—we’re on track to advance to Gold-tier. It doesn’t help my team if I’m down one Pokemon.”

“I might be able to help with that—sorry, I couldn’t help but overhear.”

Lori turned to see Christie approach, possibly having read their Aura or had some other means of knowing what they were talking about, she guessed; the woman had likely been looking for the right time to bring up the topic after learning about Miky’s departure. To Lori, it was logical; it was another opportunity to strengthen her daughter’s overall team.

The blonde woman cleared her throat, displaying a forced smile. “I don’t want to seem insensitive when Miky hasn’t left yet, but it would be quite challenging for your average Pokemon to keep up with your growth, even with my daughter’s Aura ability, as Amira is learning.”

Gaze going to the redhead, who was currently arguing with her mother about not using teleport to grab them snacks, Lori’s fingers tightened against her thighs, focus falling to the sleeping Legendary in her lap. The comment reminded her that Amira was going through her own struggles.

“I’m guessing you want to bring the topic up later tonight with Amira and Rhea, which is another reason why you stopped by to observe how much progress we were making.”

“You really are quite observant, dear,” Christie chuckled. “Yes. I generally have many reasons for the things I do, which can appear callous at times. I have many Pokemon that want nothing more than to find a home that you can provide, and I’m not trying to say as a replacement for Miky…”

“I understand,” Lori sighed, scratching above her left ear. “Maybe not tonight… Can we talk about it in a few days? I am thankful for the help you’re offering, and it does make sense. It’s just…”

“Of course,” Christie whispered, looking at her daughter. “Rhea’s been growing into such an amazing young woman with you two as examples. I’m grateful that you two ended up as her travel companions; it’s been a huge relief to see her fitting in… I was worried I ruined her chances of making new friends by being too overprotective.”

“Hehe. Rhea’s too good for me, to be honest,” Lori chuckled. “She’s always harping on me about being kinder to myself… I should be thanking her for the total support she gives us, and she never asks for anything in return.”

Her sister pinched her leg.

“Ack! Shanny?!”

“Hmm-hmm. Of course, she asks for something in return, silly,” her said, leaning into her. “She asks you to be her friend—to trust her—as she trusts you. For being so observant, you’re really quite dense sometimes, Lori. You know, her biggest fear is probably hurting her friends, pushing them away because of her Aura powers. So, what is she doing?”

It clicked in Mallory’s mind. “Why she’s been pushing herself so hard to learn from Ash… She doesn’t want to hurt us.”

“That’s Rhea,” Christie sighed, arms tightening under her chest. “It’s my fault in the end… and she has to pick up the pieces, yet she never complains. I don’t deserve such an understanding and caring daughter.”

Shauntal’s cheery voice fell a few octaves, drawing Lori’s gaze. “You can play the game of life, but you can’t make the rules… It’s cruel. If the world’s a stage, then we all play the fool. It’s so… cruel. All we can do is play our turn and hope we make the right moves. Gravity hurts, and things fall apart, yet we must make choices nonetheless or be trapped in ruin.”

Lori lifted an eyebrow. “Writing aloud again, Big Sis? Hehe. It’s been a while since I’ve heard you monologue your thoughts like that.”

A sheepish smile lifted her sister’s gloomy expression. “Hehe. Oops. My bad! Well, I should get back to the dojo to write a—”

“No, you don’t!” Lori growled, latching onto her arm and making Terri stir. “We’re all going dancing after dinner! Also, I’m going to shock Cass by taking us to an Alolan-themed club.”

“Oh?” Her sister’s eyes lit up unexpectedly. “Cynthia taught me a few of those dances the last time I stayed at her villa; I didn’t think you were into the slower vibes.”

“Eh-heh, yeah… I may have been introduced to it a week or two ago. Wait, is that what you guys do in Undella Town during those secret retreats to Cynthia’s place?”

Shauntal shrugged. “She generally enjoys business and vacations to be handled together, so when she’s over for League stuff, Caitlin, Elenora, Iris, Elesa, Skyla, Roxie, and I can stop by, and, heh… it’s a really nice seaside estate she lets us use rent-free, so long as we keep it clean.”

Christie forced a laugh. “Yes, my sister mainly opened it up to the girls of the Unova League and Gyms so she wouldn’t have to upkeep it or hire people to handle maintenance.”

“It’s smart!” Shauntal noted. “I’m sure you’ll use it when you head back home since Rhea will probably have a key. We can have a little party and invite everyone—Elise can DJ.”

“Right… Well, not changing the subject, but you’re not getting away from tonight’s clubbing!”

“Haha. Fine! Fine! I just enjoy more private retreats than crowded clubs,” her sister mumbled, rubbing her arm uncomfortably, which wasn’t usual for the Unova Elite-4 member. “Wait, is that…”

Lori’s gut tightened as she saw a blue-haired woman in a summer dress stop to talk to Lyra. “Melanie… She’s a bit early; it’s only 4:40… How’d she even know where we were?”

A confused crease came to Christie’s brow. “I thought Rhea told you she had to push up the time due to some business with the harvest?”

Mind going blank, Lori shook her head. “Maybe she did… I’ve been in a bit of a daze today. So, this is it?”

Her legs felt weak as she got up, not prepared to let go, but knowing she’d probably never be. Terri climbed up on her shoulder as she rose, and her sister found her hand.

“You good?”

“I don’t think so… but it’s his decision.”

Christie kept silent, following them over to the group as everyone huddled around Miky. He was hugging himself, looking at all of his friends, saying their goodbyes, and Roxie returned to allow Gables the chance to hug him one last time, saying he was going to miss his prankster buddy.

Lori got on her knees to pick up the sniffling Impidimp, hugging him tightly; she didn’t want to let him go. “I’m going to miss you, Miky… I’ll visit when I can. I promise.”

“Imp-Imp… Impidimp,” he returned, doing his best to hug her while held against her chest. “Impidipmp… Imp-Imp.”

“I know it’s been a journey this last month and a bit, bud. I know you’ll have a lot of fun figuring out what you want to do back home, too, and I’m sure they’ll all want to hear about your… your journey,” she choked, coughing a little. “You’ll always have a place in our hearts.”

“Impidimp…”

“I love you too, bud… I love you too…”

Letting him go with a bit of effort, she let Melanie pick him up, and Christie took the Master Ball Lori hesitantly offered; opening it up, she performed some kind of action inside of it before going to Miky and asking him to leave his home, which the Impidimp paused in, taking one last look at Lori.

“It’s okay… I want you to be happy, Miky.”

Miky sniffed back his tears and gave her a thankful nod, holding his hand against the flashing red indicator of the Master Ball, and the light faded with his connection to her soul as the bond between them dissolved into pieces.

Trying not to let the hurt show on her face, she waved him off with a teary smile, but her legs wouldn’t support her once they were out of sight; Miky was gone.

She cried for a time, held by her sister and Pokemon before Casey showed up with her team. Lori didn’t have an appetite, but she forced herself to eat a little. Her silver-haired sister was thrown off her game when it came to the Alolan-themed club, which helped a bit, being the teacher.

The slower pace was different than the frenzied Unovan dances she was accustomed to, but it helped to ease her throbbing heart, and, sometime past midnight, Lyra brought them back to the dojo. Tears came to her eyes again as she laid down to sleep, rubbing her side, where Miky would usually rest at night.

I hope you do find what you’re looking for, Miky…

They’d spend another two days in Saffron before heading to Lavender City, and Lori wasn’t sure what to think about Christie’s coming speech about providing them Pokemon to match their growth; she still had to think about it.

Settling into bed with Roxie and Gables snuggling against her, Lori’s emotionally spent mind drifted into oblivion; she’d made it to Silver-tier, but the path to get there had been more than she bargained for, and now she had a lot of training to do to prepare her two Pokemon for the challenges to come.

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The End of Volume 2! Now, it's time for Silver-tier, Baby!