7:24 p.m. July 27th, Monday, 106 PH (Post Hoopa Event). Day 47.

Events: Rhea and the girls are now on a mission to get into the Silver Bracket, pushing many others in Bronze-tier to follow their example. Our girl started her journey on the 9th of June. Rhea had her first perma-evolution with Alice!

Rhea’s gaze wandered between the modern buildings as the fog surrounded them, making it impossible to see more than two dozen meters; it was surreal, and the veil had a supernatural vibration that rubbed against her awakening Aura senses—this was certainly not your typical city.

Lulu hid inside her shirt front, poking her head out and looking at things hidden in the mist, and a shiver ran down Rhea’s spine. It was a little surreal to find a city entirely without walls or barriers to register people or identify who entered the place, but, in a way, this place had more security than even Viridian, with the ghosts permeating its space.

The saliva in her throat became sticky as they proceeded down the street, seeing typical people going about their business as they went, yet, at the same time, Rhea wondered if all of them were actually alive. Certainly, the majority were, but she had a feeling Lavender was mainly meant for a particular type of person.

Another oddity was the weird way sound traveled through the city, as if a dampening field had encompassed the entire area, causing noise near to be heard as normal and those further away to drop into obscurity, creating an eerie stillness for the expanding city.

A construction site they passed highlighted the strangeness of Lavender as the loud equipment rattled through the air before vanishing into the white void, making Rhea think it had been an apparition from the start.

Ash told them stories as they went on, Pikachu on his shoulder, looking at the same areas Lulu did, and the other Pokemon huddled close together, whispering to one another.

The ghostly presence and growth of Lavender had been an unusual study subject among the paranormal and shamanistic communities; he’d had his fair share of experiences with the ominous spirit world and not all positive.

What made Lavender so different was that it was one of the very few safe zones that were so close to the other side; he hesitated to call it a dimension since it was far more complicated than something like Ultra Space and could be considered an entity in itself, to an extent, or, at least, that’s what he’d come to think.

It all started with a tower in ancient times that was used as a sacred burial ground for Trainers to lay to rest their beloved, bonded Pokemon when they passed away; due to the closeness and positive energies of how they separated, this entire zone was created, and protection was granted via those emotions, providing a place where the living and dead could meet.

Lori shivered at the revelation. “Woah, woah, woah! You’re saying you can actually see dead Pokemon here?”

It was Amira who answered, not showing an ounce of fear while smiling at the slow-moving city folk they could perceive. “Not only that, but human, as well, which… is weird since there is a sort of separation I’ve heard between the human and Pokemon Spirit World. I’ve read that some mystics believe it has to do with spiritual frequency.”

Ash reached up to scratch Pikachu’s head. “I’ve had my own brush with death a few times, and my buddy brought me back… Buddy Bonding is a powerful thing if cultivated.”

“Pika!” the yellow rat chimed, nuzzling the side of his head.

“It’s not just one way, either,” he continued. “Pokemon and Trainer get stronger as their Aura synchronizes, and, like you were saying, Amira, there is a similar but different frequency when it comes to us. You could think of it like a fusion reactor, and when two elements meet, exponential energy is released.”

Rhea smiled down at her big-eyed Cosmog, smiling back at her. “That’s really cool. I can’t wait to get closer to Lulu. I’ve heard Lavender has grown a lot over the past two decades since the whole negative stigma has diminished with social media.”

“Mmh. Yes and no,” Ash said with a forced chuckle. “I mean, you’re always going to have some playful ghosts that cause a ruckus or take things a bit too far—typically, the Impish-type—but there are also rare circumstances where people turn into Pokemon, including ghosts.”

Amira’s mouth drew in. “I thought… that was just an unsubstantiated superstition.”

“Totally true,” Lori shivered. “Shanny is like a magnet for ghosts; I bet this is like her version of a vacation spot.”

Rhea let them go back and forth, talking about some of the adventures Ash had been on and things he’d seen first-hand, but her mind drew in upon seeing the reply from her brother and mother; everything was set. Now, she was left wondering where they should have the discussion.

7:30 p.m. - Mom: I’m at the center. Your father decided to join us since Franky was making the trip anyway, and he wanted to be here for it. I’m nervous. Really nervous. There are so many things going through my head, but I’m glad you’re pushing for this. I should have told him a long time ago, and I didn’t want to tell you, but… I’m an idiot.

7:31 p.m. - Sabin: Dad messaged me? I didn’t know he was going to be here! Cool. He wanted to know if we should talk over dinner or something. Have you eaten yet? Well, lol, I think a better question is, are you hungry? Kate’s a bottomless pit (for my bank account and her stomach lol), but since it’s a family thing, she’s going to bum around town.

7:32 p.m. - Sabin: City. I forgot Lavender is a city now. Crazy how things have expanded here. There’s supposed to be a summer festival in August. Anyway, got a place in mind?

7:33 p.m. - Sabin: Of course, you don’t. You haven’t been here before, stupid big bro. Hmm. I know a place that has more private booths where we can talk. I’ll shoot Dad a text to see if he’s game. I’m sure you’ll like the place.

Amira caught Rhea’s fingers hesitating over the projected reply icon to the message. “Are you heading out to eat?”

“Mmh. Looks like it,” Rhea said, feeling her stomach rumble a bit. “Hehe. It’s weird how Aura training has really jump-started my metabolism. I don’t know what we’ll do when Ash isn’t around to get us discounts and show us cheap places.”

Ash and Lori laughed, and Rhea sent a return message as they got into a conversation about where they would find dinner.

7:36 p.m. - Rhea: I’m good to eat. Umm. Yeah, send me the place, and I can meet you there. I’ll tell Mom we’re changing meet locations. Well, I guess Dad would know if you’re talking to him, but I’ll text her anyway. See you there! <3 I can’t wait to see Franky!

Smiling, she separated from the others, Amira sending her the coordinates to where they’d be staying the night; the redhead was always ahead of them on reservations, which was part of the reason she always had to know where they were heading.

“Nee-Nee?”

Rhea frowned, glancing down at her still hiding Cosmog’s big eyes. “Hmm? Oh, am I not scared? Nope! Haha. I’ve been spooked way too many times by Franky to be scared of your typical ghost city—we gotta be brave girls, right?”

“Pwee!”

“Punny-lop-lop,” Nova and Alice chirped by her side—although, they were immune to the Type. Mya scanned the dense fog for danger, not feeling so settled in the area with Lulu frightened.

Rhea reached up to rub the puffy cloud Pokemon; it almost didn’t feel like there was anything hiding in her shirt front, and she figured Lulu could feel her heartbeat, which was why she’d been taking the same position recently when they slept.

Her gaze drifted to the town occupants, who smiled and waved when they passed by, making her stress for the upcoming meeting lessen; it was the first time in a while she hadn’t attracted at least a few dozen people, clamoring to get her attention for something, which was nice.

Right now, she felt like any normal girl in the dense fog, and the casually friendly citizens weren’t overbearing or trying to hog her time, but just acknowledged her with a wave and smile.

I like Lavender, she thought, turning back to the device to find her way to the restaurant they’d be at beside the sea; unlike the dampened city sounds, the rise and fall of the waves against the rocks were clear as crystal, bringing her mind back to the village she’d grown up in.

Lavender used to be on a mountainous rise, but the expansion and excavation of the hills to their east had brought them close enough to host a harbor in that area, as well as the south, giving them plenty of shipping options and causing an economic boom.

In addition, the constant fog provided an atmosphere you could seldom get anywhere else, including the mysteries of the Pokemon Tower, yet it was held as a sacred place by the unique City-State; a large part of the reason that it was the only one besides Pallet to not host a Gym.

Finding the fancy, burgundy wood-themed place with dim lighting and plenty of space, hosting four levels to overlook the foggy cliff they were on and the waves below, Rhea shivered; it was a little more chilly than she expected, but a grin brightened her face upon seeing her big brother leaning against the outside entrance.

“Sabin!”

“Hey, Sis!” Flashing a smile, he moved to bring her into a strong hug, lifting her off her feet; weirdly, he was wearing a scarf, shorts, and a t-shirt. “Mom and Dad aren’t here yet, so wanna pick out the spot?”

“Can I?” Rhea asked, giggling a little as he kissed her on the forehead and set her down. “Aren’t they supposed to seat you?”

“Naa. Not here,” he said, jabbing a thumb to the stairs and a sign that said to seat yourself, and a server would be by to attend them. “What are you thinkin’, ground level or to the top?”

“Always to the top!” Rhea grinned. “Huh—Lulu?”

Her puffy cloud popped out of her shirt front, likely having been squished against her brother’s chest, but she didn’t look put off by her lapse of thought, floating around her brother before dropping down to his waist to stare at a Poke Ball.

“Nee-Nee?”

“Pwe?”

“Mawile.”

Sabin lifted an eyebrow, smirking as she poked the Poke Ball. “It looks like Ghosts recognize Ghosts; she feels Luna’s, ahem, jealous presence.”

“Jealous of me?” Rhea laughed. “Why?”

He let the scowling Mismagius out, glaring at her, but her attention was swiftly snatched by the curious Legendary.

“Mi-mi-mi… Mi-gius?”

“Neee! Ne-ne?”

“Mi-mi…”

“Nee!”

Rhea watched in fascination with her other three Pokemon as the Mismagius snickered, holding a wispy hand to her mouth before fading into the fog to the excited baby’s cheers.

“Is she…”

“Trying to copy all the other Ghosts and shift into the shadows or mist? Hah. I think so,” Sabin chuckled as Lulu closed her eyes and made a concentrated face.

“Nee?” she asked, opening her eyes and looking around to see if she’d done it.

“Lop-Lop?” Alice asked with a smile, big ears turning left and right as she looked around, and her other Pokemon joined in.

“Pweee? Pwe-pwe? Pwe?”

“Wile-Mawile…”

“Pwe?!” Nova fake jumped as Lulu giggled and dropped down to land on her back, hugging her neck.

“Ne-ne-ne!”

Laughing at the wholesome fun they were having, she saw the ghostly image appear behind Sabin’s shoulder, narrowed eyes still on her, yet her brother made the Ghost’s eyes go wide.

“Hmm. I got an idea, Luna. Do you mind being a big sis for the night and showing Lulu the ropes of being a Ghost?”

“Magi… Magi-Mismagius… Mi?”

“Ni-ni!” Lulu chirped, vanishing in light off of Nova’s back to try and hug her ‘big sister,’ only for the much older Ghost to hold out a hand to keep her at arm’s length, yet she smiled when the Ghost swapped to hugging her hand.

“Magi-magi.”

“Awesome! Maybe… you two could go spook Kate, hmm? Incentivized?” he asked with a gleam in his eye that made Rhea force a laugh as the Ghost’s hat lowered with a mischievous chuckle. “It’s settled. I got you a babysitter for the night, Sis!”

“Poor Kate,” she whispered, watching Luna guide Lulu away. “You’re going to be in the Poochyena house after your stay here, Bro.”

“Haha. What makes you think I’ve ever left it?” he returned with a gleaming smile.

“Hah. The fact you made that statement shows that Kate can’t say no to you! Make my word, she’ll find some way to get you back for that,” Rhea warned, heading for the top level to find a secluded spot they could use for the discussion.

Sabin followed with her Pokemon, tucking his hands in his pockets. “Well, heh, you see, she does get back at me in, eh-heh… other ways,” he cryptically finished.

“The pocketbook?” Rhea mocked.

“Oh, there’s a side of that woman you don’t know, Sis,” he mused, rubbing underneath his scarf. “She’s ruthless.”

“C’mon, Bro; I don’t wanna hear that,” Rhea mumbled, now having a new picture of his girlfriend with fangs as she eyed his scarf; obviously, going to dinner with their parents, he wouldn’t want to show that. “I’ve seen her training with her mom; she does go hard, so… I don’t want to imagine.”

“Haha! Wait, woah, Sis—what about this with her mom, and how do you know this?”

“Sabin!” she snarled, giving him a stern glare.

“Joking! Joking! And Fair. My bad! TMI. TMI,” he rasped, acting as if he’d escaped a war zone while rubbing his neck.

A server was on each level with a tablet showing the seating arrangements, and the man on the 4th level marked that a new person was taking a seat on the floor; Sabin silently held up four fingers and then pointed at Nova, Mya, and Alice.

“I got your meal today, Sis; I know you want to be independent, but—”

Rhea swiftly shook her head, ponytail weaving. “No, I need to save as much money as possible; thanks, Sabin. Silver-tier is not cheap.”

“Haha. Glad to hear it. Yeah, bring a menu for them, as well.”

The server nodded wordlessly, inputting the data.

Looking out across the wide, open area, she realized what Sabin meant by there being privacy; sure, there were a lot of people seated around the area, but she couldn’t hear a single word they spoke, casting an eerie vibe over the establishment. The tables were situated just far enough for the light fog passing through the area to swallow all conversation.

A group of four looked to be leaving in a prime location by the far back left, overhanging the cliff, and Rhea waited for them to exit; the server at the table was quick to gather up the plates, noticing she’d wanted the table.

“Just give me a moment, Sabin,” she said with a bright smile; it was directed up at her tall brother, though, making Rhea’s mouth draw in—the woman seemed to notice. “Eh-heh. You don’t need to worry; I won’t ask for an autograph or cause a fuss. I don’t want to intrude on the sister-brother outing.”

“Yeah, no trouble,” Sabin returned, helping the woman with the table, which was just like him. “It’d be nice if we could also get a big order of whatever Pokemon sweets you have; we have a Ghost with a big appetite coming.”

“Franky really does love his sweets,” Rhea sighed, gaze shifting to the stairs to see their parents making their way toward them, causing a bit of a stir among the guests; it was nice that sound didn’t travel far in the restaurant. “Speak of the Ghost; he’d always steal half of any ice cream we had in the house.”

“Hehe.”

“What?” Rhea asked, catching her brother’s smirk as the woman giggled and left with the plates.

“I recall someone sticking a ton of peppers in one ice cream box to surprise someone.”

“That someone being me!” her dad snickered, bending down to sweep Rhea into a tight hug. “How’s my Lil’ Swablu?”

“Missing you!” she said, giving him a peck on the cheek and smiling at the rough five-o’clock shadow that scrapped her cheek. “I was twelve, and pissed at you!” she said, shooting a dirty look at the Ghost, forcing a grin. “You ate all of the ice cream—I even wrote my name on the box…”

“Shshsh. Geng-geng…”

“I don’t want to hear your excuses,” Rhea huffed. “You always went after my stuff because you know I won’t notice right away since I only eat them once every few weeks.”

“He do be sneaky like that,” her dad laughed.

“Tell me about it,” Sabin laughed, rubbing his knuckles against the sheepish Pokemon’s head. “And then tries to make you feel guilty by convincing you it was you that ate it all along!”

The Gengar’s hand shot to his heart as a nail sunk into it, dramatically falling to the floor and fading away, making Nova’s ears fly straight up.

“Geng… gar…”

“Pwe?! Pwe! Pwe!” she cried, Alice and Mya running over to him as he played the same old game.

“Lopunny?!”

“Maw-Maw?!”

“He’s faking it,” Rhea grunted, ignoring the Ghost and moving to her seat. “I’m not a little girl anymore, Franky; when was the last time that even worked on me?”

“Uh… seven, I think,” Sabin mused, hugging their parents.

Rhea swiftly got back up to embrace her awkward mother, who didn’t have all those memories they were sharing due to being away. “Love you, too, Mom!”

“Mhm. Eh-heh… I don’t think I’ve been to this place. It’s an interesting touch to use the mist’s affinity to create a calm dining atmosphere.”

“Yeah. Really cool place, Son. Loving this view, too,” Keith whispered, fingers running through his blonde hair before drifting to the veiling mist over the ocean. “I see Shauntal has been making a stir; Franky says all the ghosts around town are nervous about the Ghost Specialist waltzing through their streets.”

A shiver ran down Rhea’s spine upon seeing the woman humming to herself, illuminated pink eyes breaking past the fog as she strolled down haunted, empty streets, ghosts surrounding her.

“Shauntal is… creepy… in a cool way. Eh-heh. Her Aura is really confusing and spooky; I think I instinctively pull back from her.”

“It’s a good idea,” her dad said, throwing a hand behind her mother’s chair to draw her closer while staring down at the waves crashing against the rocky cliff. “Shauntal’s Aura isn’t normal; she may be Grandmaster-tier as a Trainer, but that’s not all there is when it comes to power. She has more experience with the supernatural than most.”

“Loving the spooky topic,” Sabin said, leaning back to stare into the white abyss. “I’ve thought about staying here for a while with Luna to get better acquainted with the paranormal; now that I have a Ghost Pokemon, I can start pushing a bit of boundary in that regard.”

Rhea’s gut tightened, but it was her mother that responded first. “Just… be careful, Sabin. One mistake, and you could be pulled into a nightmare. I know Ghost Pokemon are normal for you two because of Franky, but there are a lot more dangers than simply Ghost Pokemon beyond the veil.”

How did I get roped into this warning? Rhea grumbled to herself before Lulu popped into mind and she sat back, crossing her arms. Lori has the most experience dealing with Ghost Pokemon I know, and she’s terrified of them. I bet it’s why she loves Dark Pokemon so much.

“Yup, yup. Always careful, Mom, no need to worry, and maybe you can be a bit more careful—am I right, Sis?”

“Totally!”

Their mother’s shoulders drooped, making her dad come to her rescue.

“C’mon, kids! Let’s not gang up on your mom. Haha. She’s having a hard enough time as it is recently. Oh, I heard you had a wonderful time together in Saffron, Rhea; your mom’s been telling me about it, but I want to hear it from you. Don’t think I haven’t heard about your intense training for Master-tier either, Sabin! I want to hear how things have been.”

Her brother reached over to jab her shoulder, making Rhea instinctively do it back; it was a thing they’d done since they were kids. “Blame Rhea!”

“For what?!”

“You have no idea the buzz your team has made in the lower tiers.”

“Oh, I’ve seen the messages. Humph. Amira says it’s just a phase—wait, or was it Lori… Okay, now you have me confused!”

“Haha! How’s that my fault!”

Going back and forth, Rhea smiled at having the chance to sit down as a family again, and for it to be at a restaurant outside of the village was huge. Laughing and playing around, bringing back old memories, pranks, or embarrassing topics between both of them.

The server came back, delivering their menus and keeping her promise about keeping it strictly business, at least on the surface; Rhea saw the flirtatious looks and gestures she made toward her brother, and, as someone who now liked Kate, she did her best to shut that down.

Rhea had to wonder if her dad or brother even noticed the young woman’s actions, but certainly, their mother had. If she didn’t know any better, her dad was actually working against her! He kept bringing the girl into the conversation when she’d stop by, asking her opinion on whatever they were talking about.

Once their food arrived, things settled down a bit, and Franky was enjoying his feast of sweets with the other Pokemon; they’d been offered their own space to chat. It didn’t take long after they neared the end of their meal for the sobering topic to finally come up.

Rhea started, bouncing the information and details off of her dad as Sabin settled in to listen; their mother couldn’t say much, doing her best to answer whatever question was directed at her without breaking into tears.

Her brother didn’t show any outward agitation or hint of anger after everything was laid bare—no tight muscles or facial expressions—and Rhea was surprised when he puffed out a long sigh, rising to his feet.

“I definitely need to digest this—heh, and not just the meal… Rhea, I know you had plans with Kate after this, but do you mind having a walk with me for a bit?”

“Umm. Yeah… Sure.”

She got up, and she took careful note of her brother’s actions as he rounded the table to hug and kiss their mom before embracing their dad.

Pulling away, he gave them a parting wave. “Don’t worry; I’m keeping my feet out in front of me. I’ll call you guys later tonight… probably. Hehe. Never know, but love you both.”

Her mother looked like she wanted to jump off the rails to escape whatever crushing sensation she was feeling, but their dad kept her held against his body, nodding at Sabin.

“Take your time, Son; don’t worry about us.”

Rhea followed Sabin outside, and she wanted to curse at the doe eyes the serving woman gave him when they passed each other on the way out; Sabin didn’t even give her a second glance, though, passive eyes looking inward.

Mya, Alice, and Nova ran after to tail them, chatting softly to one another.

They walked along the ocean-side trail, and Rhea held her breath while listening to the crashing waves below, taking her back to the night she’d discovered their parents’ past; at least their mother was taking this encounter better, but maybe that was because her Aura control was better.

“Hmm.” Sabin’s fingers tightened against his thigh inside his pockets, head shifting to look down at her. “How do you feel about all of that?”

Scratching her neck as prickles came on, Rhea slid her ponytail around to play with her hair. “Umm… I don’t know. I hate Rainbow Rocket for everything they’ve done, not to mention the stuff Mom’s had to deal with since. I know they’re not perfect… but Dad was perfect for me. I don’t want to know how I would feel if it wasn’t for you or him… and when you left…”

“Huu-haaa. Yeah, and you used to absolutely despise Kate since I’d spend time with her that we used to spend together.”

“I’m over that now,” she mumbled. “It was silly, looking back, but yeah, I did. Kate’s cool now.”

“Hehe. I saw the way you looked at that girl flirting with me… Yeah, Kate would approve. Hmm. Muk, I don’t know, Rhea… I’m less worried about Mom; she has Dad, and he’s got things handled. I mean, I get why they kept a lot of that from us, sure… I would have done the same, I think, if I had kids.”

Rhea’s eyebrows drew together. “Huh—really?”

“Yeah,” he shrugged. “It’s messed up, and you know Mom’s never good at this stuff. I can’t help but put Kate and myself in the same position, and ask myself how I’d react.” He sucked in his lower lip and puffed out a long breath. “I don’t know if I could be as strong as Dad… keep my head straight—be there for my wife like that. I respect Dad a lot more for that.”

At a total loss for how her brother was feeling since it was so alien to her, Rhea’s mind blanked. “So… you’re not pissed they kept it from us?”

He was silent for a time as they walked before stopping at a lookout point, cryptic gaze sweeping the swirling mist. “I think I’m mad. I can respect our parents—their decisions—and be pissed at the same time.”

Rubbing her arm, Rhea studied her brother’s lax demeanor and calm voice. “You don’t… look it or sound like it.”

“Hmm. Hehe. When was the last time you saw me have an outburst?” he asked, throwing an arm around her to pull her in and rub his knuckles against her ear.

“Ack! Yeah, okay, not for a long time,” she grumbled, cheeks darkening upon remembering her own emotional breakdown after learning about their parents’ past and herself, but his next whispered statement made her freeze.

“It’s different for you, though.”

“Hmm?”

Swallowing, Sabin pulled her tighter against his body before turning to bring her into a full hug.

“Sabin?”

“It must have been so hard for you—still be. I can’t imagine the thoughts you must have.”

Heat spontaneously welled up in her chest, moving up her throat to her nose. “It… was a little overwhelming. I didn’t know if I w-was a Pokemon or human or… or something else entirely. If Mom and Dad were actually my parents… if you were my brother, b-but I don’t think about that anymore.”

Clearing his throat, he puffed out a hot breath that grazed her ear before pulling away and wiping away a few tears before they left his watery eyes; she’d never seen her brother cry.

“I’m worried about you, Rhea. I know you have a support group with your friends, and I’m glad you confided in them and didn’t try to bottle it up… like I might have. You’re strong, Sis, but if you have anything you want to talk about… anything at all. I’ll drop everything because you’re my sister, okay?”

Sniffing back her tears, she nodded, unable to open her mouth while returning to his arms. “Mhm!”

“Huu-haaa. There’s a lot for me to parse through, but my number one concern is you. I get you want to protect everyone from Rainbow Rocket, using whatever Mom gave you, but… know you’re not alone, okay? Have fun; leave the heavy stuff for later. I got you. Dad’s got you. Auntie’s got you… Just enjoy yourself while you can with your friends… I know—I know—how much you’ve longed to finally have this freedom.”

Throat sticky, Rhea nodded her head against his chest. “Mhm… Thank you, Sabin.”

“Always, Little Sis. Who else is going to be the family’s cute, fluffy mascot?”

“Haha!”

Alice and Nova were wrapped around her feet, giving her their own love as Mya tried to find her own place. Letting a few tears go, she felt a bit of the darkness festering in her heart lift.

Her brother kissed her on her forehead after a time before taking her hand and nudging his head for her to follow him to his girlfriend, who was busy in the shopping district.

“Let’s go drop you off to have a fun girls’ night while I brood in the dark.”

“Heh. That is like you,” she snickered, hoping her eyes and cheeks weren’t too puffy. “Thanks, Big Bro.”