9:14 a.m. July 21st, Tuesday, 106 PH (Post Hoopa Event). Day 42.

A soft groan rumbled in Rhea’s throat as she shifted underneath her covers, her foggy mind rising out of the sleep-induced veil that obscured it; the night before had been filled with so much chaos she still felt in somewhat of a daze.

Lori had taken them to an Alolan-themed club to dance the night away, and between Casey and her purple-haired teammate, she hadn’t sat for hours. She wasn’t quite sure what time they came back—late, for sure—since Lyra transported them back.

It had all been a bit overwhelming to her since she still wasn’t accustomed to being around such a loud and packed area; the energy and Auras assaulted her on all sides, pulling her into a swirl of madness that Ash helped her through.

The ‘Legendary Loser,’ as Blue called him, had used the opportunity to further break through barriers involving her own defensive measures when flooded by the sensations invisible to more than 99% of the world’s population. Her current issue wasn’t sensing Aura, but filtering it out whenever opening herself up to it.

Puffing out a long stream of air, Rhea stared at the ceiling, not wanting to move; another problem she was beginning to experience was over-Aura stimulation.

The stress of accessing her Spiritual Allocation so often, especially in this manner and when still quite young, was taking a toll on her physical and mental faculties as they weren’t isolated from each other, as Ash explained.

Rhea instinctively knew Amira would be up—she was always the first one up—and she expected Lori would sleep in as long as possible after breaking into tears just before bed; Casey and Shauntal held her until she’d passed out. At some point, Rhea had done the same; last night was all a blur after the club.

She smiled when Nova and Lulu cuddled next to each other, monopolizing both her legs under the blankets, and she could feel her Eevee’s wet nose pressed against her calf.

Alice took her usual spot on her chest, pinning her down, yet her warm—a little too warm—ears had found their way around her neck, acting as a scarf. The far too energetic Buneary was having a blast being out all the time, not being stuck to roll around in circles around her Poke Ball. Of course, when she crashed, she was out like a log—‘play hard; sleep hard’ seemed to be her philosophy.

As for her right side, Mya’s warm, squishy metallic body was pressed against her, second head lying above her pillow; the Mawile was engaging more with Alice in a positive way to help Lulu fit into the group.

Returning her gaze upwards, Rhea saw the morning sheens of light illuminate her mother’s blonde locks beside her; they had two blankets over them since her mom tended to steal one in her sleep through the night, and she’d done it again, bundled up like a Cofagrigus.

Contenting herself, knowing she wouldn’t be getting up any time soon, Rhea smiled and closed her eyes; she wanted to practice her Aura, but Ash had told her to let her Fortitude rest for a few days. Instead, she listened to the soft sounds of breathing throughout the room, trying to identify who was still asleep by their positions.

Casey’s teammates had been just as emotionally spent as she was by the end of the night, and Rhea was a little surprised to learn that Ellie—Kabu’s granddaughter—had trouble with compact places like clubs. Rhea couldn’t hear her or her Charmander to the left, but she did seem like the type to get up early, like Amira.

On the other hand, Inoa was breathing a bit heavily across the room, likely cuddled up to her Galarian Meowth or Cyndaquil; she didn’t have one empathic episode the previous night, which was a huge deal for the girl. She called Olivia—her mother—to tell her the exciting news just before bed.

Rhea couldn’t hear Shauntal, but she was practically a ghost—figuratively and literally—seemingly capable of vanishing at any given moment; Rhea wasn’t entirely sure it was her Pokemon spiriting her away, either.

Naturally, if Amira was gone, so was her mother; she figured the pair were probably up having breakfast or chatting, and Ellie was likely with them. Casey and Mallory were definitely still sleeping in each other’s arms.

Reflecting on all the chaos that had taken place over the past month and a half, Rhea had to appreciate how close she’d become to her new friends; as it turned out, she may be a little odd and have a few problems, but she didn’t hold a monopoly on issues. They could support each other when those vulnerable moments came up.

Lori showed them they could push into Silver-tier, even if it had been a bitter-sweet process, and now they had to move forward. Rhea didn’t have time to concern herself with her friends falling behind with her ability, yet she did have to manage it right, which was why Ash was there to help guide her.

Head tilting to the side, she opened her eyes to study her sleeping Mawile, unable to lower her chin to look at her Buneary; her Pokemon felt like a true part of her soul now and being able to feel them, even from half a region away—such as when Nova went on her mother-daughter date—was such an amazing sensation. She was never truly alone.

Everything everyone told me about being bonded is an understatement… It really is life-altering. Her mind drifted into a strange thought, pulling her thoughts into a weird place. Not everyone can bond with Pokemon… There has to be a way for everyone to enjoy it. Is that another one of Mom’s reasons for all the research?

Her mouth tightened upon shifting the opposite way to watch her mother sleep. No… Mom’s only goal since I was born has been 100% on me… partially out of guilt. Oh, mom, what am I going to do with you? All I can do is get stronger, but if I do that… will she start to question if she’s even needed anymore?

Shifting a tad to give her mom a peck on the forehead, she smiled as all her Pokemon gripped her tighter as if saying ‘settle down; we’re still using you as a pillow!’

You’ll always be needed, she thought, blowing a little morning breath at her mom and silently giggling as she got a crease from her mother’s nose. Hang in there, Mom. I’ll show you you’re worth saving, and I know I’m not alone.

Leaning back, her expression fell, pondering something that had been on her mind over the last week from time to time. We need to tell Sabin about the whole Rainbow Rocket problem. When, though? I guess I’ll have to bring it up with Mom.

Rhea lay sandwiched between her Pokemon and mother, deep in thought for another thirty minutes until her occasional shift roused Lulu; her Cosmog brought the chaos by sleep-teleporting onto Sora’s face, and she must have been dreaming about Alice because her puffy arms were swinging, pattering the blindsided Buneary’s cheeks.

Alice’s hair stiffened as she shot straight into the air, eyes flying open; all of a sudden, she was cartwheeling against the wall, breathing heavily the moment her ears touched the ground, using her mom as a springboard.

Without her snuggle buddy, Nova’s paws tightened around Rhea’s calf, groggily rousing from the chain reaction of noises sounding off from Lulu’s harmless punches.

Mya’s steel-like head flipped over the opposite way at Alice’s hiss, causing a rumble in the floorboards as she struggled up, thinking they were under attack, and everyone else began to stir.

Rhea sat up with a short giggle, bringing Lulu to her lap to pat her cloud-like head as she yawned, pink eyes cracking open. “Hehe. Morning, guys.”

“Bun-Buneary! Bun-bun!” she cried, chest pumping as if she’d run thirty laps, looking for what had awoken her. “Bun?”

“Mawile… Maw…”

“Pew-pew? Pew…”

“Buneary!”

“Pew-pew…”

Nova’s ears poked out of the blanket, a happy chirp in her voice while moving to nuzzle Lulu, totally oblivious to the chaos she’d caused, enjoying the attention.

“Mmgm… Alice bouncing off the walls?” her mom asked, shifting her night braid; it would be wavy when she undid it, which looked nice on her. “Maybe a bit too much sugar?”

“Buneary…”

“No,” Rhea chuckled, seeing Alice’s slight pout. “Blame yourself, Alice; all the stuff you’ve been doing with Lulu has her training in her sleep. Aww, I love you, too,” she whispered as the Nebula Pokemon rubbed against her cheek. “You guys ready for the morning?”

“No…” Lori grumbled, pulling her blanket over her head as the others in the room struggled to get up. “Give me another two hours.”

“Ditto,” Casey groaned. “Maybe I shouldn’t have snuck some of those drinks for us…”

Rhea blinked. “Wait, what drinks?”

“Heh. Nothing,” Casey mumbled. “Mmgm. Shanty’s gone? Figures…”

“Let her do her creepy stalking stuff; we’ll be around later,” Lori replied, opening the blanket up for Casey to join her under it to escape the light. “Life sucks…”

Figuring she was just speaking in general to release stress, Rhea got up to arch her back, feeling the burn; Inoa’s black hair was a bit of a mess as she rose, yawning and showing a bit of drool on her chin that she quickly wiped away.

“Where did Ellie go?” she asked with her Alolan accent thick in her morning grogginess.

“Probably up with Amira and Lyra. Want to get ready and head out for some breakfast?”

The dark-skinned girl’s face brightened. “I’d love that, Rhea. Is your mom joining us?”

Rhea shot an accusatory smirk in her mother’s direction, taking a note from everyone else that had pestered her all her life. “How else am I supposed to know she’s feeding herself?”

“Hehe. I’d enjoy having a morning coffee and muffin… or two.”

“Sounds good! Catch you later today, Cass, Lori.”

“Coffee…”

“Lots of sugar and shots—all the shots.”

The two girls groaned in response underneath the blanket.

Cleaning up their futons and night supplies with Ellie, her mother, and her Pokemon, Rhea picked up her dress—using the skirt portion today—and threw them on to head to the bathroom; it was a good thing they’d done some shopping for her mom since she’d be staying for a day or two.

Rhea brought her phone into the shower, overseeing her Pokemon clean each other and giving pointers while letting the lukewarm water ease her muscles; she caught up on all the messages she’d let slide for a while replying to a few—the holographic screen had to be out of the direct spray.

10:24 p.m. - Dad: Morning (because I know you’ll probably space everything with what your mom texted me)! How is your mom, by the way? She sounded much better than normal, but you can never tell with her. Anyway, throw me a text when you get a chance.

11:45 p.m. - Jason: We got delayed on the way to Fuchsia due to boat troubles. We fought the Kanto Bronze Rank 60 team… They trounced us! Haha. Yeah, Len and Lucian are PISSED about it. We could have totally worked better as a team, though.

On another note, did you know Lucian follows Amira’s fan club page? He has some heated debates with this one user that runs the page called Red Hot Tamales; she’s a super-fan of Amira’s, so that goes well. Haha!

Congrats on the first Silver-tier Badge! Len and Lucian are totally pushing to go beyond Bronze to compete. I think it may have to do with Amira, and, surprisingly, Lori for Len… Lucian does NOT want her to beat him to Silver-tier. Don’t know how we’re going to do it, but it’s why we’re heading to Fuchsia. Wish us luck!

11:48 p.m. - Jason: By the way, saw Sabin a minute ago… Yeah, he flew to the boat! I think he’s doing some intense training with my sister. She sends me a lot of crying emojis lately. Know what that’s about?

Rhea could take an educated guess that he wasn’t giving her the attention she wanted; it seemed their push to Silver had lit a fire under a lot of people’s butts. Checking out the other Oak Starter Award contestants, she saw some were a little peeved that they were winning the race to the League when their team swapped up the meta by getting an Encrusted Silver-tier Badge.

Amy, Olivia, and Isabella’s speedrunning team had just gotten their fourth badge and, even if they didn’t message her, it was clear they were keeping track of them because they had just publicly announced the new meta to the community—it was a race to Silver-tier—the stakes had increased.

Rhea swiped out of it with a small smile—honestly, she didn’t really care about any of that—she just wanted to have fun with her team.

She texted her dad back first, knowing he’d be up long before now, wondering what he did to occupy his time now that she was out of the house.

9:32 a.m. - Rhea: Hey, Dad! <3 you and good morning! I’m making her eat out for breakfast after getting ready; she’s doing great, and we even went shopping! She’s down on herself sometimes, but I get on her for it. Btw, send daily pics! I’m curious to know what you’ve been up to now that I’m gone. Maybe give Franky the phone, so he can record and take photos. I’d love to see them!

Knowing that she was looking forward to it, Franky would definitely light a fire under her dad’s butt to post some stuff. She figured it was likely battling other Grandmasters, but he’d know she also wanted the daily fun bits, too.

Swapping to Jason, she tapped her phone against her mouth a few times, leaning against the cool tile wall as the spray gradually got colder; Alice used Mya’s head to get up to the lever to turn up the heat on her own, taking a rag to polish the top—she really just loved the suds she could make.

9:34 a.m. - Rhea: That’s crazy about Lucian following Amira’s page. Guess he’s pretty smitten by her, but who isn’t at this point, right? Haha! After her performance in Cerulean City, her song has become an overnight hit. I’ll have to tell her, though. Maybe she can tease him about it when they see each other again? Hmm… Maybe I shouldn’t, on second thought? But it would make her smile… I’m going to tell her! Sorry!

As for Silver-tier… Just have fun. We’re having a good time lately. No pressure. I’m more focused on my Aura training than badges, honestly. It seems like the more important thing, but my Pokemon also want a good challenge. Let’s have a battle when we see each other!

We’re going to go to Lavender City next. Maiden’s Peak is north of it. Ash and Shauntal need to check something out there… spooky. I’m excited! It isn’t scary when you have one of the strongest Ghost Trainers in the world with you and a Legendary-tier Trainer like Ash. He’s goofy but reliable.

Vermilion’s after that for my first Silver Badge! Meet up there after you’re done with Fuchsia? Good luck with the Gym!

Sending it, she set her phone to the side and finished getting ready, cleaning off her soapy Pokemon. Her mom and Inoa were waiting for her out front; they tossed their old, wet garments in the treatment machine before heading out to the city.

They did a quick check of the dojo but didn’t spot Amira, Ellie, or Lyra; texting the redhead, Rhea smiled when she got the reply as they entered a bakery for breakfast.

10:09 a.m. - Amira: We’re running the Saffron jogging routes; it’s been a while since I’ve done some exercise, and I feel like I need to work on my Physical Allocation more. Mariah is so cute; she tied a ribbon around her hair and is mirroring us; naturally, Amber had to get her own accessory.

Getting back into a daily routine is good, and after the first three miles, it feels amazing. And, before you text, I did rest quite a bit the last few days. Catch you for lunch at 12?

Texting that it sounded like a plan, Rhea felt the urge to get a bit more active, as well, wondering if they could go a little off-trail on their path to Lavender; she always enjoyed finding new little spots in Pallet Forest or the coves near the village.

Calling Ash as they got in line, she noticed people talking about Lulu, and not in a good way; most people gave them space, afraid the nimbus cloud resting on Nova’s back would open up a gateway straight to Rainbow Rocket. At the very least, it acted as a deterrent from people swarming her.

Her brow creased as a Pokemon answered:

“Pika-Pi? Pi-Pi-Pikachu.”

“Hey… uh, is Ash available, Pikachu?”

“Pika! Pi-Pi”

Dozens of loud voices could be heard on the other end, making Rhea’s eyebrow lift.

“I needed shredded garlic five minutes ago, George! Trista, watch the oil! Ash, how goes those onions?”

“Almost done, Head Chef!” he called back. “Oh, uh, Rhea—sorry, a bit busy—in the pan?”

“Toss ‘em in, man; don’t be shy! Turn up that flame, Pikachu!”

“Pika-Pi!”

Laughing at the ridiculous situation Ash had probably found himself in, Rhea gave her confused mom and friend a helpless shrug. “Alright, call me back when you get a chance.”

“Pi-Pika!”

He hung up, and Rhea sighed, wondering how Ash had landed himself in a kitchen with a full-blown chef. Passing the time by hearing about Cassy’s travels and struggles with her team while eating three muffins—Aura control made her appetite ravenous—Rhea listened to Inoa’s chatter.

Their team had been doing a lot of off-trailing, it seemed, and were on the lookout for their third Pokemon. Inoa’s Galarian Meowth was becoming a monster on the Bronze Leaderboards, jumping up to the 3,000s in the overall ratings for their division.

Unluckily, her Cyndaquil, Blu, had run up against some bad matchups and taken a few losses; he was determined to catch up to his teammate, though. They appeared to have a healthy, competitive relationship.

Casey’s Mudkip, Bean, and Noble, her Mime Jr., had hit it off; a budding relationship was growing between them. On the other hand, Ellie’s Charmander, Jordi, and her Tangela were always fighting, but it was more like Mya and Alice’s type of team bonding.

Ever since their Viridian Forest adventure—it felt so long ago, yet it was only five weeks—Casey and Ellie had been really considerate of Inoa’s empathic abilities. It made Rhea happy to see them getting along since the Viridian trip and the Cerulean party.

Bumming around Saffron with her mother, they walked through the shopping district, mostly looking, but her mom bought them each a pair of earrings they could have to remember Saffron; it was small enough not to burden them and fit in their bags when needed.

Near noon, they met with everyone, including Ash, at the ramen shop they’d first eaten at; they got discounts, and Saffron was very expensive compared to the other cities they’d been to. Apparently, Ash had somehow been mistaken as an apprentice by this elderly chef with bad eyesight—a bit ironic—and pulled into the kitchens when he just wanted to thank the chef for the excellent food.

“Aww,” Lyra giggled, nudging the laughing Legend. “You’ve always been too nice, Ashy! You just couldn’t let them go one man down, could you?”

“I couldn’t! You can’t tell me I’m too nice with how many things you get involved in, Lyra!” Ash shot back, and Rhea snickered when Amira gave them a nod that said it happened way too often.

“It’s just another adventure!” she cheered, high-fiving her bouncy Wigglytuff, who was eating at the table with them. “Crazy storytime! Okay, did you guys know that one time Greeny and I accidentally put an entire city to sleep when we were drunk, betting each other?”

Amira choked. “Ack! You mean, The Mystery of the Viridian Sleep Day was caused by you, Mom?”

“Oh, no, no, no, no!” Lyra waved her hands, scratching her neck, and looked to the side. “That one wasn’t me… It was actually Elaine when I… might have gotten her drunk when out on a girl’s night—Greeny said she couldn’t do it—it’s not my fault… except for egging her on. Hehe.”

Amira glared at her trouble-making mom. “The amount of stuff you get away with by just teleporting everyone away.”

“Hey! I’m the best for a reason!” her mother returned, showing an innocent smile that could do no wrong. “Everyone can use a little more sleep, and we made sure no one got hurt; it’s not easy, even for Legendary-tier Psychic Pokemon, to prevent all those accidents across a whole city.”

Ash groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. “That reminds me of this insane Jigglypuff that would always follow us around and draw on our faces.”

“She sounds adorable,” Lyra mused, getting up to get another drink. “So, we’re just going to hang out for the next few days—you doing okay, sweety?” she asked Lori.

Lori puffed out a long breath, rubbing her forehead and possibly still experiencing a hangover from whatever Casey illegally stole last night; Rhea couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed, but she was kind of drunk on Aura.

“Umm. It still hurts, but I can’t keep living in the past, and we gotta keep going—no one can replace Miky—it’s not about that. So, what I’m trying to say is… Christie, if you, umm, have a Pokemon that wants a team…”

Christie gave her a soft smile as Lyra paused to listen, and everyone glanced between the Unovan girl and the breeding legend. “Miky clearly wanted you to do well, Lori; I’m sure he’ll be cheering you on. As for a new Pokemon, I do have one, actually, from my Galar Lab. One of my assistants is going to send her over tomorrow; she’s, heh, a little Impish, which I figure you’ll appreciate.”

Rhea felt warm and fuzzy inside as a wry smile lifted her teammate’s mouth; as could be expected, her mom was the queen of stringing them along, giving them hints but always leaving it for them to guess.

“What’s her Typing?” Amira asked, opening up her phone to likely put in a calculator to identify strengths and weaknesses with their team.

Christie shot Lori a thoughtful hum. “I do love a good surprise expression, and I’m sure you’ll love her; she’s a few weeks old now, and has also seen Leon battle live. So, I’m sure she’s burning to have her own human partner. What hint do you want me to give?”

All eyes went to Lori as the researcher sat back, lips drawing in as she thought. “Hmm… Steel—hehe, Primary or Secondary-Typing, I wonder?”

“You Impidimp!” Lori laughed, likely thinking about Miky. “Tell me a little more about her! C’mon!”

“Alright, alright,” Christie mused, sipping at her coffee and looking at their Pokemon at their own big table across the room, having their own discussion. “Let’s see… She’s tough like Mya—having that Steel grit—but still a little speed-devil like Alice. I’m positive she’ll be a great fit for pushing Silver-tier; Terri and her should get along.”

“I’m sold!” Lori said, pulling up her phone. “I can hope for another Dark-Type, even if I know Mono-Typing is a terrible strategy… I just love Dark-Types, so don’t ruin my fantasy! Wait… Oh. My. Arceus! Bisharp is such a stud…” she drooled, now looking up pictures of the Pokemon; Rhea figured she was trying to distract herself so she wouldn’t cry again.

Her mother had a twinkle in her eye that she rarely saw, and Rhea tried to get her to let her in on the secret the entire day without success; her mom’s lips were sealed.

They went to bed early to wake up to the newest member of their squad, Lulu causing trouble before bed by teleporting them into the boy’s locker room for some unknown reason, but she was sure it was Alice’s plot since she was cackling as they rushed out, red-faced; luckily, no one was taking a shower, but there were a few men at the stalls.

She chatted with Ash through text before snuggling into her mattress with her mom watching next to her; he was all for them going a bit off-trail, which could gain them time instead of using the winding path that swung south to small towns.

The night went by without problems, and when they awoke, they swiftly got ready before heading to the Center; Jason and her dad sent a few texts that she responded to, but the one that caught her attention was the one from her brother.

Passing by the early morning joggers on the sidewalk, Rhea stared at the message before pulling her mother to the back of the group to talk, catching Amira’s thoughtful glance.

“Mom… Sabin wants to have dinner when we reach Lavender City. Can I talk to him about… everything? I just don’t feel right with him not knowing.”

Her mother’s mouth drew in, and Rhea knew she was probably not expecting to have this conversation right now. “Huu-haaa. I do want to do it myself, and I am worried he’ll feel… betrayed, even if unconsciously. He’s always been strong and independent, wanting to look out for you since I… kind of pushed him into that role to have a big brother nearby when you became a trainer… I know I’m terrible.”

“Mom… I don’t look at it like that at all, and I don’t think he does, either. My big brother is amazing—he’d never hate you—you just can’t think of anyone loving you, which is the problem,” she huffed, nudging her as Nova mirrored her on the ground. “Sabin’s way more understanding and cool-headed than me. Trust him… Trust me to explain it.”

“Oh, Rhea,” her mother groaned, rubbing between her eyes and likely suppressing a panic attack. “I… can’t say no to that.” Licking her lips and biting her lower lip, she sighed again. “Can I come to listen? I don’t think I can talk, but…”

“Of course! Have Dad bring you. I’ll do all the talking, and he can ask questions after. Trust your kids… We’re more grown up than you think,” she giggled. “Plus, we both love you guys more than the world.”

“Hehe… I’m going to cry…” Her mom swallowed, fanning her face and blinking. “I… know nothing lasts forever, and you are growing up to be… such an amazing young woman. It hurts… sometimes. I just want to hold you—protect you from this cruel world. It’s so hard to breathe sometimes—ack…” she choked.

“You are,” Rhea whispered, bringing her closer in their slow walk. “Nova, Mya, Alice, Lulu… All the work you’ve done to keep me safe… I love you, Mom.”

“I love you—so much, Rhea… So much…”

Comforting her mother through the emotional spike, she managed to regain control by the time they made it to the Center, and, after some cooling off in the lady’s room, she exited, going to the PC to reveal their new Pokemon.

Their group drew attention with some taking pictures, and her mother entered her personal account number to access the box. “She’s been placed in the, ahem, appropriate Poke Ball already, and the first person who touches it will initiate the bond… Lori,” she said, gesturing for her to come up.

Gables and Roxie were out, holding their breath while jumping forward with Mallory; Terri stood on her shoulder, staring at the machine like it would grow legs to become their new ally. “We’re ready!”

Rhea’s hands tightened at her back, and her mother activated the retrieval process, causing the Master Ball to materialize in a flash of light. Lori reached out her hand, fingers closing around the sphere.

She stiffened for a moment and then smiled. “Well, hello… Why don’t you get properly acquainted with everyone?”

Gables waved and returned to his Poke Ball, allowing Roxie the chance to meet her new companion first, as Lori released her new Pokemon.

The energy materialized into a small, pink-eyed, black-and-white bird that ruffled her feathers before chirping.

“You’re so cute!” Lori squealed, getting on her knees to meet her Pokemon. “A Steel-Type?”

Amira snickered. “Sly trick; I admit, you had me. Rookidee, the poster bird of Galar, and rival of Skarmory… A Flying-Type that evolves into a Steel-Type.”

“She’s perfect!” Lori gasped upon seeing the image of her fully evolved. “Corviknight. Oh, we need to come up with a cool name for you… How about Zyra?”

Zyra chirped with pride, fluttering up to land on her head and show off, making everyone laugh; they had their newest member, and Rhea could feel Mya was thrilled to have another Steel-Type in their team.