10:43 a.m. August 4th, Tuesday, 106 PH (Post Hoopa Event). Day 55.

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, and the end of registration for the Winter Indigo Cup is December 5th (123 days away). Nova got her new evolution, and Gables evolved, too!

Calling Nova back into her Poke Ball, Butterfree swarming in her stomach with her internal squeals, she congratulated her tired Eevee on the new form; it touched her heart thinking back to their time kayaking and the submerged sea temple, where she’d wanted to have fun with Gables and Serenity in the water.

Alice and Mya were dancing around Nova’s spirit as she basically dropped to her belly inside her Poke Ball, legs spread and groaning about how exhausted she was. She didn’t feel that tired or stressed in the fight, but now that it was over, she realized she did stress herself a lot with pushing her new form for nearly five minutes since she wasn’t used to it.

Spotting Lori jogging over to her from around the edge of the arena, Rhea exited the stage as the platform went down, allowing the next semi-finals match to happen; in stunned realization, she saw the board change, showing her next opponent was the guy with the Ekans, but that wasn’t what snagged her thoughts.

We’re in the semi-finals of a Silver-tier competition; sure, we’re in the lower bracket, but that’s crazy.

Lori’s shining face fell as they neared, and Rhea followed her gaze to the screens high above them. “Yo, girl, check you—no way… Amira lost?”

Rhea’s mouth drew in as she saw the mild sour look on the redhead’s face as her opponent recalled his Delibird back; the screen only showed one Pokemon, where Amira had used Amber and Holly.

She couldn’t hear what they were talking about regarding her teammate’s fight due to so many people still stuck on how versatile and powerful Nova was and would become.

Lori gave her a forced smile and motioned to the competitor pathway between the matches. “I’ll see how she’s doing; you get ready for your big semi-final match, and we’ll be back over to reconnect. Sound good?”

Rhea smiled, waving her off while looking up at the screen again as it swapped to a replay of Amira’s battle. “Thanks. I hope she isn’t too down; she looked pretty upset.”

“No kidding,” Mallory hummed, breaking away. “When Amira looks a little pissed, she’s fuming inside. Ice cream after?”

“Hehe. I already promised my girls.”

“Sweet! Break their legs, girl!”

Rhea wasn’t sure that was the right saying, but maybe it was for the dancer, or it was some weird Unovan thing.

Leaning against the railing, she moved to a portable area to transport Poke Balls in the waiting area, sending Nova to recharge in the facility Center; she smiled at the few Trainers that lingered after their match, but she was mainly just exhausted.

She got a few comments regarding Nova—mostly envious, fake remarks—but everyone wished her luck in the next battle. She even got a few people that warned her regarding her opponent; he was apparently fairly strong for the lower bracket of Silver-tier.

Sucking on her lower lip while staring across the field at the boy she’d be fighting next, she saw him passively scanning his phone in the back corner and not paying this match any attention.

Deciding to do the same, she pulled up Pokedex’s profile on Ekans, developing a plan with Mya and Alice in the short time they had left; they did have the advantage of having three Pokemon to cycle between, which was the limit in this gauntlet format.

She grimaced upon seeing the Move list, but the good thing was most of its attacks were Poison-based, and Mya would easily eat the Typing since she was immune. Her biggest trouble would be the Dig stall tactics he’d used thus far.

Hmm. Between Wrap, Poison Sting, Glare, and Dig, his strategy is to play it quick at the start, and then keep his distance once the effects are applied. The initial speed will be an issue for you, Mya, but we can give you time by throwing you closer to me instead of the center of the field, which will allow him to go underground.

Alice bounced around her spirit, asking her own questions that Rhea listened to, attempting to translate it.

His other Pokemon? I don’t know, sadly. He’s from Galar, and we only have the battle data from our own League; he’s only used his Ekans thus far. He has three Kanto Silver Badges—non-encrusted—but still, he’s definitely talented. Don’t be sad if we lose; we’ve done really good, okay?

Her Pokemon agreed, happy to be facing tougher opponents now, and she turned her attention to the semi-final battle happening right now that would face her or the Ekans Trainer next.

The girl threw out a Sandshrew that met a Blitzle; however, the Electric Pokemon was quickly recalled for a Klefki to take its place. It looked like the Sandshrew Trainer didn’t have anything to counter back since her Pokemon stayed in.

Their battle was fairly stally overall as the Ground-Type dug into the earth and the Steel-Type took to the air to their advantage; the time ran out with the Klefki taking the victory.

Her name was called to take the stage, many people now gathering to see if she’d use Nova or what other trick she’d have up her sleeve, but her Eevee was tapped out. She saw Amira and Lori walking over with the redhead wearing a tight expression. Clearly, she thought she should have won or was upset about something regarding her battle.

Taking a deep breath, she smiled at the girl that lost the other semi-final while taking the stage; she returned it with a melancholy shrug that said ‘it happens’ as they passed.

“Good luck—beautiful Eevee, by the way.”

“Thanks. She’s amazing.”

Nova would have been puffed up with pride at the comment had she not been resting in the Center’s recharge machine, and her other two Pokemon were hyped to begin. Sadly, the results were to be expected.

Tuning out the buzz, she threw out Mya as the light flipped to green, giving her space to prepare a Move, but the boy across from her threw his Poke Ball high into the sky, confusing her for a second until realizing he was using the delay before the fall to build his own Move.

The Ekans hit the ground, burrowing inside it like butter as Mya threw out her intimidating aura, flexing her toes against the ground.

Misty Terrain would be useful in this situation since the snake could sense the vibrations on the surface and follow his Trainer’s instructions; their best strategy was remaining perfectly still and force the Ekans to occasionally come out to check their location, but, oddly, it didn’t.

Mya patiently waited, and time passed for the Move to be effective, making Rhea hum; the boy across from her was watching Mya closely.

Maybe Misty Terrain would have been good if he’s trying to coordinate with his Ekans… Go for a Swords Dance and be prepared to counter it because they’re waiting to use something; he’s probably seen our battle against Forrest and thinks we’ll use Metal Burst on the Dig.

Rhea’s fingers pressed against the console as Mya’s frame illuminated, a sword appearing for her to snatch out of the air, sharply raising her Attack.

The ground behind her blew out, revealing the snake as they’d expected, and her Mawile’s jaws were ready to clamp down on the snake, wincing from the damage that smacked her vulnerable gums, but she refused to let go; flames erupted in her mouth.

Fire Fang! We’ll play their own—what?

Mya’s grip slackened as a violet aura surrounded the snake, surrounding Mya, shocking them both at the enfeebling sensation that passed through their connection; it was the first time she’d felt that huge of a draw from Mya since their first battle together, making her wince and causing her blood pressure to shoot up with the sweat that followed.

What did it do to us? she hissed, knowing it had to be one of its many Egg Move, but how it had an effect on her was a total and alarming mystery.

She swapped to Ekans profile on her phone again as Mya’s Fire Fang collapsed due to the steep energy drain that affected them both. It used the opportunity to coil around her Mawile’s mouth, sealing it shut with a white band before burrowing into the stadium again.

Rhea’s eyes widened as the announcer named the Move as if it were any average day attack, but the results spoke volumes to the dangers for her and her teammates; this was a serious issue.

“Spite forces Maya’s Fire Fang to fail due to a miscalculation in energy draw, and Trace manages to lock those frightening jaws up while doing chip damage, which can’t be comfortable for our Steely girl! She needs to get that Wrap off, but it doesn’t look like it will be easy with the amount of energy Trace put into it—is she panicking?”

Mya’s big, fearful eyes shot to her, but it wasn’t for the same reason the announcer believed; this battle was actually more dangerous than either of them anticipated, and for this problem to happen to her Mawile of all her Pokemon made Rhea curse inside.

Spite forcefully takes a Pokemon’s energy, which shouldn’t be a problem for a normal Trainer, but my Pokemon need my energy to live; they subconsciously take it from me to survive.

Biting her lower lip as Alice panicked in the same way as Mya, the snake came out of the grounds several meters away, purple energy gathering around its frame; it smelled blood and wouldn’t let up now—Rhea held up her Poke Ball and brought Mya back to safety as another chunk of her Fortitude was forced out of her.

The announcer’s voice became confused as she didn’t bring out another Pokemon. “What’s this? Rhea seems to be—”

She hit a button on the console, throat dry and rubbing her hot forehead as Mya cried.

“Rhea… forfeits the match.”

The stage lowered, Rhea holding up her Poke Ball and breathing out a hot stream of air.

Don’t sweat it, Mya; we’ve learned we have a really bad weakness, but this is good. We’ve shown we’re able to play in Silver, at least, and any Master that sees the battle will certainly know why we gave up. It’s not your problem. It’s our problem, and we’ll figure something out with our team.

Lulu poked her head out, concern on her cute, puffy face as she pulled on her shirt front to allow some ventilation to cool her heating body and puffed up her cheeks to blow out the pressure in her chest.

She had to blink, feeling a little light-headed; they’d come a long way since Pallet, but from that first experience, she knew what her limits were, and this battle wasn’t worth the potential trouble and danger to her or her Pokemon’s health, mental and physical included.

Rhea could see by the tight mouths of her friends that they’d deducted the reason for her surrender, and they silently left the stadium to the bewildered crowd that had been hoping to see another awesome match.

In the hallway, Rhea slowed to lean her back against the wall, now away from the crowds and eyes; sweat now showed on her brow. “Okay… we have a problem.”

“I had no idea what was going on until Amira said you should forfeit, and I saw your face. You okay—scratch that, I’ll go grab a cold rag,” Lori hastily mumbled, rubbing her arm comfortingly before jogging to the girl’s locker room further down the corridor; Terri had a serious expression, the Kubfu running ahead to open the door for her.

Rhea gave a dismissive wave. “Hehe. I will be if I take it easy. Could you grab some water, too?”

“I got it, girl!” she yelled back. “Just chill!”

Amira’s arms were crossed, worried red eyes studying her. “I hadn’t thought about how Spite might affect you; that really is a scary Move to go against for us, but mostly you and Lori now that you both have more genetically enhanced Pokemon. You may want to talk to your mom about this because—”

“Pallet, I know,” she hissed, scratching her slick temple and grimacing as a few loose strands of her bangs stuck to her face. “I don’t think there’s anything we can really even do about it, though, but get stronger… Hehe. Wait, Lulu?”

“Ni-Ni?”

Her teary-eyed cloud floated up to brush away her bangs and press her forehead against each other, hugging her. “I’ll be okay.”

“Melo?”

“Rhea will be okay,” Amira whispered, smiling down at her Meloetta’s shining eyes, possibly sensing their emotions with her unique abilities before the redhead returned her gaze to her. “You feel well enough to keep going?”

Showing a strained grin, she nodded. “Yeah, let’s pick up Nova and get out of here; I’m… actually starving.”

“Hehe. Imagine you saying that a month ago.”

“No shot! Haha. I’ve turned into a glutton with this Aura and Fortitude training.”

“I think we all have,” the redhead returned, moving closer to rub her back and offer a comforting smile. “I’ll call Ash and see if he can meet us somewhere to discuss this further. He may have better insight for us.”

Making their way into the locker room, Rhea returned the headphone Lori lent her before using the cold towel to cool off a bit and freshen up; a few girls went in and out, giving her curious looks, but no one engaged them.

She pushed herself a little by allowing Mya and Alice to exit their Poke Balls to hug her and walk with them, but it was manageable if they didn’t use any Moves. Nova was still tired but was buzzing with questions when she awoke to the frantic words of her teammates as they picked her up.

Once out of the stadium and on the open street, the tension eased, and she laughed, enjoying the warm spring breeze, enjoying the salty taste it left that reminded her of home. “We actually did pretty well in the Silver bracket, all things considered. What do you—oh, what happened, Amira?” she asked, recalling the redhead’s expression after her loss.

Lori snickered, watching their Pokemon discuss the competition a short distance ahead of them. “The dude was a little rude, but it’s kind of silly, really—talking crap when he used a Future Sight Egg Move.”

Amira fidgetted a little with her long braid, pulling it around her front while scowling at the buildings ahead; they were entering the main flow of traffic again.

“I underestimated him since I thought I knew what I was dealing with against a Mime Jr. since Casey has one, but I was a little overconfident… The level difference between each bracket is more… pronounced than I thought.”

“Hold up!” Lori hummed, pulling out her phone and making them pause. “Let’s see how he did when we left… Uh-huh!”

Amira’s nose twisted with displeasure upon seeing the results of her section. “He won the finals, and handily. It appears I wasn’t the only one caught off-guard by such an advanced Move… that is practically impossible to dodge. Ugh. We really need to work on our battles against Psychic Trainers.”

Rhea lifted an eyebrow as Mya hung back from the other Pokemon to look up at her in a way that made her sigh—she understood it was her way of punishing herself, even when she didn’t need to; Rhea opened her Poke Ball for her to return, allowing Nova to come out. It could also be Mya wanting to be more alone or have time to think, which she understood, as well.

“He was a Psychic, too?” she asked, picking Nova up as Lulu teleported onto her head, acting as a lookout for danger in some new game Zyra had them playing. “Wow.”

Lori rolled her eyes. “Right… He’s sitting there talking smack while being a Psychic and using Moves outside our weight class? Muk him. I… Uh. Amira?”

Amira stopped, phone held up, and checked their battle records on the app. “Well, that was fast. Our team was moved to Silver-tier. Did you get the notification?”

Rhea dug around her skirt pocket to pull out her own device, noticing a message from her brother and Ash that she’d somehow missed. “Yeah. So, it’s official, huh? Does it automatically go into the system for review or something?”

Lori flipped her holographic phone around as they went on the move again to not impede traffic, people now walking around them. “No. More like nepotism and having family in the League that sets all the rules.”

They giggled upon seeing Karen’s text about how many times she’d been tagged on social media regarding Nova’s transformation; apparently, complaints were flooding in, and she was one of the few League members that responded to social media posts.

“So, according to my mom, people want Nova’s secret on transforming given to the public, and there’s even a petition on the Poke Change website or something. Once again, girls, we’re in the news! Hehe. I mean, who can blame people for talking about such a cutie like Nova, though?”

“Pwee!” her Eevee giggled as Lori came closer to scratch her ears, Lulu jumping down and mirroring her to Nova’s delight; although, Mya felt a bit worse from her own internal guilt coming back, no doubt.

Mya, I know I can’t just say ‘feel better’ because feelings don’t work like that, but… I don’t blame you, and neither do Alice, Nova, or Lulu. Right, girls? Yeah, see the support!

Her Mawile mumbled something, emotions turbulent as Rhea twisted her phone in her fingers, Lori and Amira now going over potential strategies to overcome the Future Sight.

Hmm? Oh, c’mon, Mya, just because you have powerful attacks that require a lot of my Fortitude doesn’t mean you’re defective! She puzzled out through Nova and Alice’s heated retorts to her self-hate. You felt how much Nova drew out of me in her fight. You’re not the problem! Spite is just our, heh, weakness right now.

Going over her brother and Ash’s messages as Amira guided them to a decently reviewed ice cream place as their group’s designated navigator, Rhea’s voice softened to her sniffling Mawile.

There’s nothing we can do about it, so there’s no use beating ourselves up. You’re amazing, Mya, and everyone knows it. Hmm?

Ash’s message was that he’d find them shortly and that he was impressed by her quick decision to forfeit instead of being dumb—just without the dumb part—and forcing herself and her Pokemon. It showed her growth as a Trainer and realizing her limits.

Nova pulled her away from the text as she wiggled around to look up at her, pink eyes showing that she was now in a serious mood. “Pwe-pwe. Pwe. Pwe.”

“Lop-lop?”

“Pwe-pwe.”

“Neee?”

“Pwe. Pweeeee.”

Lulu giggled as Nova rubbed her hand with her ear, Rhea getting the impression that the Eevee was telling her that she should stay with Rhea for a little bit and she was going to be busy.

“Ne-ne!” she returned with a salute, no doubt saying she’d be a good girl.

Blinking, Rhea put her down as Alice hopped over on the Eevee’s prompt, a little disappointed but returning to her Poke Ball to allow Mya to come out.

What’s going on— You want to go out with Mya for a bit to talk? Okay, but… do you want to get your ice cream first? she asked as her Eevee nodded.

Apparently, she wanted to have a one-on-one with her teammate, which Rhea was all for, given Mya’s current melancholy attitude; it said a lot about how Nova had grown since she was still very tired but insisted on the private talk.

Amira and Lori slowed at their sudden actions, watching her release Mya again.

“How close is the shop, Amira?”

“Hmm. Just around the corner. What’s going on?”

“Mya and Nova want some time together.” It sounded better than Nova wanting to bonk Mya on the head and then hug her to get her thoughts straight. “I’m just going to get them ice cream for their time out.”

“Oh, cool,” Lori nodded, releasing Gables to join Roxie as Zyra returned to her Poke Ball. “Looks like Gabs wants to do the same with my cute pup. Your team got anything going on, Amira?”

She glanced down at her Pokemon, Amber looking thoughtful while looking between Mariah and Holly before chirping. “Looks like Amber wants a girls’ day out, too. Huh. Oh, it won’t be that scary,” she laughed as the Meloetta hugged her. “Just… be careful, Amber; Mariah will draw a lot of unwanted attention.”

Amber puffed out her chest as an effulgence came from the Fennekin, and all of them jumped, along with everyone else around them.

“No way…” Lori laughed. “I guess our Pokemon do all train together!”

Rhea smiled as Amira swiftly dropped everything to pull up her phone and record the tail-end of the evolution. “Muk—Amber’s first evolution… Oh, I like the sass look,” she mused, seeing Amber cross her arms, tail flicking to the left and flaring ears making those who crowded in jump back.

“Braixen,” she sniffed, examining her new shiny purple fur and figure as Gables jumped clover, holding a thumbs up. “Xen-braixen,” she huffed at a few of his comments, looking away hastily, but it was easy to tell she was a little flustered.

“Oh, wave your wand!” Amira cooed, snapping photos. “Mom is going to love this, our first team evolution!”

Hype now replacing the contest, they continued to the shop, all of their Pokemon congratulating the fox on her advancement.

It didn’t take long for Ash to show up after that, and their Pokemon split up, the newly minted Braixen saying she would make sure Mariah would be safe, holding the timid Mythical Pokemon’s hand as they left. It was a big step for the Meloetta, but Holly and Serenity would be with them.

Mya wasn’t thrilled to go off with Nova, but the ice cream helped smooth things over, and she held it for the Eevee, which made the Mawile happy to be of use.

Sitting down at a table by the window, Rhea passively ate her banana split sundae as Ash got bowls for his Pokemon that took the tables around them as a barrier for privacy. Lori ate the bullet—despite feeling a bit weak after the battle against Nova—for Zyra to eat her ice cream; she’d return to her Poke Ball after.

Ash puffed out a long stream of air before sitting down, holding two massive vanilla and chocolate swirls. “Wooh! Man, you girls did fantastically.”

“Really?” Amira dully asked, playing with her own sundae. “I’m not happy about my performance, personally. I should have been able to help Holly and Amber navigate the fight better, but he read me like a book.”

“Psychic,” Lori promptly reminded her.

Ash chuckled and sat back while enjoying a few licks of his dessert. “Sure, that contributed to it, but a ‘mistake’ was made in the selection.”

Eyebrows coming together at the comment, he sighed at their confused looks, waiting for him to expand on the statement.

“Tucker told me that you were placed in the mid-ranking Silver Bracket rather than the entry-level like Rhea and Lori, which is why you weren’t with them.”

Amira’s bottom lip drew in before taking a savage bite of her banana. “Figures… Someone wanted to sabotage my push into Silver, then?”

He shrugged. “I can’t tell you the reasons, but that certainly is a possibility. You beat your first opponent, which was big since he’s been to the entry-level semi-finals twice.”

Amira’s sour expression brightened at that. “Well, I guess that does make me feel better, and Amber’s evolution helps, too…”

“Family?” Lori grinned as she held up her phone to see several messages and made Rhea recall her brother’s text in the chaos that had been the last hour.

“Mhm. My mom and dad made me promise to take pictures for them.”

Rhea drew away from the conversation while returning to her brother’s message.

10:49 a.m. - Sabin: Hey, Sis, a friend told me you were competing in the Battle Dome. I saw the Spite and how it affected you. I’m calling Mom to see what’s up with that, but thanks for forfeiting; I was worried you might be stupid like me and just power through, but you’re the smarter sibling after all, huh? =P Don’t stress today and relax. You’ll be Silver-tier after that performance, no question!

Love you, Sis! Maybe we’ll be battling soon with how fast you’re progressing! Oh, and congrats on Nova’s second form! Mom’s going to freak out, so expect her to call later today.

She smiled. So, Sabin’s been keeping tabs on me? No shot he heard it from a friend. He’s been too busy training to do any of that, but maybe they’re still taking it easy for Kate’s sake. A sister can hope, she mused to herself, now feeling much better.

Her focus returned to Ash and her teammates when he threw a curve ball their way.

“Hey, what do you girls think about taking a flying taxi to Vermilion now that you’re Silver-tier? My treat.”

“Wait, really?” Lori asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously while shifting between them. “Hold up… is this an offhanded way of you saying we need time to relax and not stress our bodies hiking.”

Amira stretched her hands over her head with a yawn. “That, haaa… and the bridge is loaded with Trainers plotting to battle us now that we’re in their bracket, no doubt. We need time to restore our Fortitude.”

“Aww,” Ash groaned. “You girls always catch on, but I really do want to congratulate you on the advancement; I’m pretty sure you’re the first Trainers this season to break into Silver without going to the Silver Conference, and only a handful of people manage that at all, anyway. You’re bound to make waves in the headlines in the coming days.”

“Already ahead of ya, man,” Lori grinned, holding up her phone to see articles already coming out about Nova. “Oh, what about the Spite thing; is it just something we have to deal with?”

Ash pushed his mouth to the side, pondering the question as Rhea leaned forward to listen.

“Unfortunately, that’s just the cost of having Pokemon that rely on you for their energy; Spite is one of those Moves you really have to look out for and practice to defend against. Nova did wonderfully in blocking many of Roxie’s Status Moves, for example. It just takes practice and experience, which she got in spades from somewhere, considering those plays.”

“Her mother,” Rhea answered, finishing off her ice cream and looking at the clock; it was just about noon. “Should we leave today?”

“Sooner, the better!” Lori cheered. “I can’t wait to see Kanto from the air. Amira?”

“Already booking the tickets with Ash’s card. We’ll need to make a stop at Customs between Lavender and Vermilion City-State since they take their borders very seriously, but we should make it to the main city by nightfall.”

“Nice. I’m going for seconds on the sundae,” Lori grinned. “Oh, and we should get some real food before going. How much time do we have?”

“Forty minutes to make the schedule,” she replied, making them laugh.

Rhea forced a laugh. “Well, I guess we should collect our Pokemon and grab something to hold us over until we can snag something at the layover.”

Lori sank back into her chair. “Guess that’s a no on a second sundae. Bummer. Still, I can’t wait to see you take on the new Gym, girl; Fairy, huh?”

Feeling Butterfree in her belly again upon remembering Saria and Visquez’s High Master match, she grimaced. Kanto had their first Fairy Gym, and she wanted to have that Encrusted Badge; she’d made sure not to research how the Badge looked, so she could be surprised by the design.

Amira turned her phone to her with a small smile and showed a large, fancy facility. “Why don’t we stop by the Eevee Evolution Lab? I’m sure they’d love to fawn over Nova, and she’d love the attention.”

“Sold!” Rhea gasped, just thinking about the pictures she could take. “Let’s do it!”