12:27 p.m. August 5th, Wednesday, 106 PH (Post Hoopa Event). Day 56.

Events: It’s time to register for the Vermilion Gym and Rhea’s first Silver-tier Encrusted Badge. Our girl started her journey on the 9th of June, and the end of registration for the Winter Indigo Cup is December 5th (122 days away). Nova got her new evolution, and Gables and Amber evolved, too!

Rhea didn’t know if it was her mother’s warning or something else, but she couldn’t help the tense pressure against her chest as she followed the facility’s employees into the lab. There were several groups of tourists and school kids that pointed her out with all the Eeveelutions crowding around their party.

She held Nova against her stomach since Lulu was occupying the inside of her front, once again resting; the Cosmog felt a bit warm against her skin, but she didn’t know if it was due to her elevated heart rate or the Pokemon herself.

Amira took over talking with the man and woman, likely sensing she was uncomfortable. They took them through a coded door and into the research portion of the building, leaving Rhea to scan the faces they passed. Almost every person seemed to notice her.

Rhea wanted to breathe a sigh of relief when they brought them into an empty office and asked them to wait for Pinery.

Lori sat down and yawned. “Why did you want to come here again? I’m getting the vibe you don’t want to be here.”

Glancing down at Nova, who was sitting in her lap and looking up at her, Rhea scratched her ears. “I wanted to see if Nova could get some help learning how to better use her Vaporeon form… maybe get a few tips, but I don’t know now. You okay?”

“Pwe? Pwe-pwe.” Nova pressed against her hand with a smile. “Pwe.”

“What?” Thinking she’d heard wrong as Amira and Lori got delayed responses from their own Pokemon, Rhea asked to make sure she’d interpreted her Eevee correctly. “You want to hang out here and meet the other Vaporeon?”

She nodded in response, shifting to tap Mya’s Poke Ball.

“You and Mya? Umm. Do you really trust them after all of that?” Rhea didn’t quite understand the complex response she gave, but the answer was clear enough; she wanted to chill with the others. “Do… you want me to stay?”

Nova’s head tilted to the side, pondering the question, which told Rhea probably not; she got the impression she wanted to spend the day here to prepare for their future Gym challenges and get better acquainted with not only her Glaceon and Vaporeon forms but all the future transformations she would eventually get.

Rhea wasn’t sold on the idea, yet Pinery’s arrival put a button on the conversation for a moment, and her appearance made Nova gasp; the blue highlights and the way the woman did her dark blue hair resembled a Glaceon.

“Rhea,” she said as they rose to their feet, the woman holding out a hand to greet them. “You two must be Lori and Amira. Please, take a seat; I don’t want to take up too much of your day.”

“Mm-hmm,” Rhea returned with tight lips.

Sitting down, they covered a few of the basic topics to break the ice, including the general things she’d expected, such as if Nova could transform into any other Eeveelution. After a few minutes, she got to the meat of her hesitation and Nova’s desire.

Pinery folded her fingers in her lap, her smile drawing Rhea’s gaze to her dark pink lipstick as she hummed.

“Let’s see… I can hardly discount your mother’s warnings; Eeveelution research has hit a long-standing roadblock, despite the funds funneled into it. Some of us hope the opening of Paldea might bring more material with a few of their region-unique phenomena, but, if I’m being honest, I’m doubtful.”

She closed her blue eyes and leaned against her chair, appearing to be reflecting on something as Rhea waited for her to answer her questions.

“I won’t say Nova doesn’t tempt me, which means my staff must be buzzing right now about what your visit could mean—rumors flying everywhere—yet I have worked with your mother in the past, and I have to conclude there are very troubling things we would discover when studying her…”

Vision opening, she sat straighter. “I would be happy to have Nova spend the day here learning all about Eevee culture! In fact…”

She opened up her lab coat to take a minimized Poke Ball from inside and release a larger-than-average Glaceon. “Shimmer can make sure no one from the research department bothers her, and I’ll make an announcement about it to the staff. Would that be okay? I’d still love to treat you girls to some lunch and talk.”

Rhea played with her hair, drawn over her shoulder; she knew the woman was after something else and wanted to let things settle to pose her question. She felt more at ease when Nova jumped off her lap to greet the older Pokemon.

“Mmh. We can, I guess… Nova, when do you want us to pick you up?”

“Pwe-pwe?”

“Glaceon.”

“Pwe… Pwe,” she concluded with confidence, tail wagging.

“Around… seven? Kate and Sabin will be here later tonight so that we can register with them after.”

Amira released Amber and Lori, Gables, to join Nova; the two insisted they wanted to hang out, which eased her stress that her Eevee wouldn’t be alone.

Her Eevee chirped at her friends, getting into a circle, Mya joining them. Rhea got up to split their separate ways, but, once out of sight, almost felt like she had a cramp; it was tough, but she had to have faith in her fluff ball.

Nova’s grown up so fast… It wasn’t that long ago she was terrified of mud, but I guess someone had to take on the big sister role in the party, and she stepped up.

Pinery shed her lab coat to show a light blue sleeveless shirt and teal pants before adding some dark sunglasses. The woman pointed at Amira’s own pair as the redhead put them on to counter the bright sunlight.

“I bet your first thought of me was, Jolteon, his woman has huge eyes! Hehe. For some reason, I was born with eyes that always look like I’m opening them as far as they can go—heh, a little self-conscious.”

Lori snickered, following her out of the facility and into a parking lot to take her car. “What a conversation starter—hey, we all got things we want to change, am I right?”

Amira shrugged. “I’m very happy with my body, but maybe I’d be happier if I didn’t always assume the worst out of people. Where are we going to eat? I’d prefer somewhere not messy or greasy at the moment. You, Rhea?”

“Mmh. Maybe some soup and salad; are there any good places nearby?”

Pinery motioned them to her car as they neared; it unlocked when she grabbed the lever to open the door, and they piled in, Rhea taking the back with Amira.

“I know a decent place nearby. Umm, I guess you know why I wanted more time with you, and I won’t say I don’t have ulterior motives—I just want to know if it’s possible—can Eevee evolve further… have new Types, perhaps Mega Evolve?”

Leaning back now that they were alone in her car, the woman puffed out a long stream of air, hands in her lap; a depressed note entered her voice.

“Just… tell me that. I’ve dedicated my life to facilitating a place where Eevee lovers can gather to find answers. I’ve secured funding and garnered interest around the world, but I can’t keep personnel since, well… Rocket or many other organizations poach my best talent.

“I’m sure breakthroughs have been made—Nova shows just how much there is left to be explored—yet because of my open and unguarded approach, I’ve shockingly hit so many roadblocks… I’ve got support from everyone except for the ones that matter…”

Rhea hadn’t expected this as the woman leaned forward to fold her arms across the steering wheel and hide her face. “I can’t help but feel like a failure… Ever since you started your journey almost two months ago, Rhea, and the world got a taste of Nova’s potential, I’ve been pulled in so many directions, yet I don’t have answers to give. Sorry…”

She sucked in air and puffed it out in a short laugh before adjusting her glasses and starting the car. “I don’t have many people I can complain to… too many people look to me for answers I can’t give—even the League called me earlier today about your battle yesterday—I…”

Shaking her head, Pinery backed out and started their drive. “Sorry to make this awkward. Heh. I didn’t mean to just unload like that.”

Rhea felt bad for her; it felt sincere. She had no clue how much her journey would affect other people’s lives. Pinery put on a happy face and cheery personality as a defensive mechanism when, in reality, she was drowning in the flood of eyes looking to her for answers.

Not having much to say to her melancholy rant, she sat back, noticing Lori and Amira’s gaze on her. “I really don’t know a whole lot about what my mom did with Nova… but she probably can change into every Type, at least—well, eventually,” she reasoned, thinking back to the evolution stones her mother gave her and what they looked like.

Tension easing, Pinery forced a smile. “Well, at least I know there is more to be learned. Your mother is brilliant but very guarded… I don’t know why, when she could help advance our understanding of genetics so much. Sorry! Complaining again. You don’t need to hear my frustrations… Was yesterday the first time Nova evolved into anything other than Glaceon?”

Rhea caught Amira’s gaze through her rose-tinted, circular glasses; she hadn’t missed the implication or phishing inquiry that Nova could transform into any other Eeveelution, but it didn’t matter to her.

“Yeah, the first time. Nova was actually pretty angry with herself that she couldn’t evolve into anything else. She had a playdate with her mother a few weeks back, and apparently, she helped her through some blocks.”

“Ambrosia, huh?” Pinery whispered. “Hmm. Well, thank you, Rhea.”

“For?” she asked, unsure what she was referring to.

“Despite my agitation at your mother’s refusal to so much as answer my calls… You’ve shown me there is hope for my life’s work, and it’s not just a dead-end, as some have called my research. So, I’ll say it again… Thank you. I want every Eevee to someday be able to enjoy being whatever they want to be at any moment. She brings hope to a lot of Eevee.”

Lori’s left eye creased. “Mmh… I don’t know—it looked more like jealousy and envy to me.”

“Perhaps on the surface,” she returned with a smile. “It’s hard to look at someone you see as perfect and not feel envious, but from what little I saw, I don’t think Nova’s the type of girl to rub people’s faces in how amazing she is. And she is amazing. I look forward to following your journey, Rhea, and seeing where Nova goes from here.”

She turned them onto the road and into traffic. “Hehe. I even heard bets down the hall this morning. Nova went from Normal to Ice. Now she has Water, so some think Fire is next while others are saying Umbreon.”

“We’ll see,” Rhea mumbled, less nervous after hearing the woman bare her heart. “Maybe she’ll surprise us all with something new.”

After a few seconds of silence, Pinery whispered, “Wouldn’t that be a wonder to behold?”

Making it to the restaurant, they ate and chatted a bit about their journey. A lot regarding their brush with Plasma was kept secret from the public; however, Gossip had released a recent post linking the Legendary Trainers’ involvement due to Lyra. Adding in photos of them just after the incident around the lakeside town they’d been teleported to surfacing, and things were getting dicey.

Lori changed the topic to pull up obscure sites about a secret underground fan group tracking their movements and taking bets. Rhea sighed; she had no clue how the Unovan girl discovered the strange websites. Conspiracy theorists and enthusiasts online were gradually piecing their journey together in an attempt to predict where they’d go next, and people were making bank off of it.

Pinery cheered up and appeared to have a good time with their lunch discussions. They opted to browse the streets near the restaurant, waving the woman off to return to her work; she assured her that Nova would be in good hands with Shimmer.

Casually walking the streets with her team, Rhea passively observed the Pokemon and city life of Vermilion. It wasn’t nearly as crowded or bustling as Veridian or Saffron, yet the sea breeze and beachwear of the citizens eventually drew them toward the beach on Lori’s prompt.

Braiding each other’s hair, they released the rest of their Pokemon to join them in some volleyball games, kicking up sand and laughing at how try-hard her Lopunny was against Terri. Eventually, they tired out and left their Pokemon to continue the fight.

Laughing and taking pictures, a topic that came up throughout the evening was the date between Ash and Chloe, making Lori snicker.

“Yeah, I don’t think we’re going to be seeing much of them anytime soon. Oh, do you think she’ll pull him behind some stand at the amusement park to make out?”

Amira crossed her legs and leaned back, playing with her phone to post a few of their pictures together. “Do you really see Chloe being that bold after what we saw this morning? Not unless she gets hyped up by Soleil, and even then… Oh, bad memories, Rhea? Sorry.”

Rhea laughed and shook her head. “I’m over it now. Ugh. I haven’t even addressed it yet—actually, whatever happened to Kekoa, Lori?”

“Ah, yeah, I chat with him sometimes.”

She and Amira gave the girl a look.

“Cap?” Rhea questioningly said, mirroring one of Lori’s phrases.

The redhead chuckled. “Seriously, I haven’t seen you talk to anyone, and we’re always around each other.”

“Text?” Lori muttered, pulling up her phone and showing a string of emojis with short phrases that went back weeks. “We play a little game. Heh. One person starts, and the other has to add onto it.”

“Cute.” Rhea smiled. “Hmm. Oh, we should probably head back to get the girls. Alice, Lulu, we’re—hehe, Lulu!”

“Neee!”

The cloudy nimbus grabbed the ball—playing on Alice’s team—and vanished in light to smack her in the face with it. Deflating the item and checking it back in, Rhea was happy they didn’t pop it since, reportedly, it often happened to the company. They charged heavily for it, but it wasn’t like they could keep a ton of useless items in their limited backpacks.

Bringing the discussion up on the way back, Amira had something to pose that drew their attention. “I got a message from your mom, Rhea— since you weren’t answering her texts—wondering if we still wanted to try the prototype bags Silph’s developing that somehow incorporate Poke Ball technology to inanimate objects. Still interested?”

“Yes!” Lori instantly shot back. “How does that even work? You, heh, catch your shirt or something? Go, size-eight yellow shoes—I choose you!”

“Hahaha!”

“No,” Amira smirked, shaking her head as they boarded the flying taxi she’d rented. “Well, not entirely, from what I’m aware; the items have to be tuned for it, so there’s a limited roster of goods thus far, but the basics we’d need as Trainers. No more bulky, little tents. We can get more quality, larger items since they fit in tiny capsules.”

Rhea mirrored Lori’s impressed expression.

“I’m game. Rhea?”

“Sure! I haven’t gotten any texts from her, though… She probably sent them to someone by accident. When would we get that?”

Checking her phone, Amira flipped it around to show them. “It should be ready at the end of next week if we opt in for the beta testing phase. We’ll need to send in weekly reports with our experience with them. Is that okay?”

They nodded, and she replied that they were interested.

The flying taxi dropped them off out front of the facility, waiting for their return since they wouldn’t be long; she’d felt Nova transform twice, which did put some pressure against her chest with the previous day’s trouble, but it was manageable.

Nova was beaming as she jogged with a horde of Eeveelutions, everyone wanting to say goodbye to the little salt-and-pepper Eevee. Rhea grinned, she appeared to have made quite an impression on them. Gables and Amber smiled while waving off a few specific Flareon and Vaporeon.

Rhea got distracted from a text as they prepared to leave, seeing it was Kate.

7:18 p.m. - Kate: We just flew in! I think our training is lowkey, like… really paying off! We got here sooner than we thought. Want to meet us at the Gym to register before getting dinner? Your brother’s treat, naturally! Tee-hee.

7:19 p.m. - Kate: Are you hungry, or have you eaten? I know sometimes it’s up and down for you.

7:19 p.m. - Rhea: Starved! Ever since Aura training and my Pokemon started battling stronger opponents, my body has been craving food. I might get a belly!

7:20 p.m. - Kate: Pfft! Don’t even. You’ve always had muscle, girl. I had to start watching my weight a little lately, but I think it’s stress eating from worrying about your brother. Whatever! See you soon, and thanks for having my back!

Laughing at the woman’s comments, Rhea got in the taxi with Nova, leaving the Eeveelutions to watch them enter the orange sky. Mya and Nova seemed to have worked more out because the Mawile was a lot cheerier while observing the city from the air.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long for them to land at the Gym. Kate and Sabin were standing out front, hands in their pockets and wearing basically matching clothes of shorts and t-shirts. Her brother called out to her as they neared, warning her as she moved in for a hug, with a quick explanation as to the smell.

“Watch it, heh; Kate and I haven’t showered in, like, three days.”

“Shut up!” the blue-haired girl snarled, cheeks going pink. “I put on deodorant—but yeah, mind if we stop by a hotel before grabbing something to eat? We got here as fast as we could.”

“Yeah, no problem!” Rhea snickered, now spotting the signs of the mess the two were in; Kate didn’t seem to notice she still had dried mud on the back of her arm and neck that showed sweat stains. “I… think we have some time. Want to use the Gym showers?”

“Ooh! Nice call, Sis,” Sabin nodded, but Kate wore a scowl. “What?”

“To just jump back into our dirty clothes? Men… No, let’s grab something new real fast from a nearby store—I could go for a simple summer dress!”

“Ugh… You mean, I can pay for a new summer dress,” he said with a strained smile.

“And you’ll love every minute of me in it!” she chimed with an innocent grin that made them laugh.

“I mean, you’re not wrong, Bae,” he mused, thumbs sticking out of his pockets as he took them to a nearby outlet. “You do look good in a summer dress—tan?”

“Mmh. I’m thinking yellow—we’ll see what they have!”

Kate chose a yellow, knee-length dress and returned to the Gym to register for Friday’s Encrusted Badge. Once it was official, they waited in the locker room, chatting with the blue-haired Platinum-tier Trainer as she told them about her grueling week—Sabin was trying to prepare them for Master-tier, but Kate just wanted to get her second-to-last badge she needed to compete in the Summer Cup.

Cleaned up, they hit a local Unovan-style restaurant for dinner and caught up before heading back to the Cerise residence at nine; Ash and Chloe weren’t back as the family Yamper whimpered at the door, causing them to give one another looks. Nova communicated that the yellow Pokemon wanted more time with the girl since she was leaving soon.

Telling Chloe’s interested parents about their day, they got ready for bed and passed out, setting an appointment with her brother and Kate to bum around the city tomorrow.

The following morning, Nova discovered via Chloe’s Eevee that Chloe had chickened out of asking what his relationship to Misty was when she had the opportunity and had been beating herself up over it through the night. Apparently, today would be different, though!

Power to you, girl! Rhea thought with a laugh. Ash and the lovestruck girl were already going out to meet up with the other couple by the time they reached the kitchen. Her mother wore a knowing smile that only a mother could, warming Rhea’s heart.

The test results that were sent to her mother would take a few days to properly go through and analyze to see if Nova and she weren’t having issues, so they had the run of the city. Kate and her brother showed her around various locations, taking pictures and posting them on their profiles. Grandpa Drake went crazy at the images of her next to an Altaria and Swablu, getting hearts from most of her family.

The 6th flashed by like a dream. and without stress, thankfully. Ash and Chloe were out late again, which prompted a round of snickers from her team. Kate cared for Lulu most of the day and enjoyed every minute of the quirky baby Legendary. The latter half was filled with strategies and fun conversations around the potential Pokemon the Gym Leader would throw at her.

Once making it back to the house, Rhea felt lighter than she could remember when hitting the sack. She breathed a long breath, internally preparing herself for her first Silver-tier Gym Battle, despite the nerves.

Tomorrow… we get my first Silver Encrusted Badge; let’s give it a hundred percent, girls!

Nova nuzzled her leg under the covers as Alice and Mya cuddled closer on either side; she couldn’t help but giggle with the tickling sensation Lulu left against her neck as the cloud hugged her.

Good Night…

“Pwe.”

“N-ne…”

“L… Lopunny.”

“Maw-maw.”