8:52 a.m. August 13th, Thursday, 106 PH (Post Hoopa Event). Day 65.

Events: Rhea won her Silver-tier Encrusted Badge after a tough battle! Now, our girls are on their way to getting their four Encrusted Badges for the League. Onward! Our girl started her journey on the 9th of June, and the end of registration for the Winter Indigo Cup is December 5th (113 days away).

Rhea giggled as the man behind the beach bar shooed them off, considering she wasn’t of age yet. Ash and Dawn took either side of her, Pikachu, Mimey, and Piplup talking with Nova as they stepped on the beachside walkway.

Apparently, they were two hours ahead of Fuschia, and the daylight and night hours were fairly even, like Alola; sunrise was around 6 a.m. and sunfall at 6 p.m. when most businesses closed. The bustling shore showed how important the morning was to the island residents, and tourists were active in their groups.

The cool ocean breeze carried the puffy white clouds across the sky, Pokemon flying in swarms and populating the town streets. Buildings had unique designs that revolved around the mask and feathers resembling the Legendary Birds.

Dawn pointed her toward what appeared to be the main entrance to the town from the docks, where a giant statue of Lugia was carved with a boy and Pikachu riding on its back, a glowing orb of fire held in his hand.

Rhea had to do a double-take. “Is that…”

“Ash and Pikachu?” Dawn laughed, reaching back to push the pink-cheeked man as Pikachu ran ahead, telling an enthralled Nova some grand story that Mimey played out with him. “Yup! See that redhead girl that’s not Misty they’re flying to?”

“Uh-huh?”

Leaning over a little, Rhea caught sight of a young girl wearing a red-trimmed white dress, sandals, and an orange headpiece. Her eyes were closed, standing on a cliff while playing an ocarina; above them flew three of the Legendary Birds.

The answer clicked in Rhea’s head from history class. “Wait, was this the time when the strongest Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres fought and almost destroyed the world in a massive storm… Or am I thinking about the other massive storm that happened the year before that?”

Dawn snickered. “Ash does have a way of getting involved in world-ending storms, don’t you?”

“Teh-hah. Like you can talk,” Ash snorted. “You have a problem with time travel and dimensional rifts.”

“That you were mostly there for!” she shot back with a smirk. “Anyway, a long time ago, Ash discovered he was the chosen one, which would become a recurring theme.”

“Hey!” Ash threw up his hands, making Rhea chuckle. “I never wanted to be the chosen one, but I just ended up at the right place at the wrong time…”

“Pka-pi?” his best bud asked, turning to give him a lifted eyebrow.

“Eh, yeah… it does happen a lot. Haha-haaa.”

Dawn bumped into her with a wink, nudging her head back to the statue. “Anyway, the saving the world part is whatever—it’s like a monthly occurrence for Ash and Pikachu—but you wanna know the juicy bits! Right?”

Ash adjusted his hat, giving her a dubious stare that Rhea loved; it was fun being with the two best friends as Dawn unraveled the powerful and mysterious Legendary Trainer. “It’s not a ‘monthly thing’ at all—it’s a most semi-annually.”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t care—boring!” Dawn dismissively waved, skipping ahead to the statue to spread her arms and make dramatic gestures.

“No, you want to hear the reward he got for risking his life dozens of times that day, heroically braving the ice sheets with the strongest Legendary Birds in history battling overhead, a Lugia that could split the sea with a flap of his wing taking them all on overhead, and battling an obsessive collector with an air base and magical ring barrier technology entering the mix!”.

“Huh? I didn’t hear anything about an air base or magical ring barrier technology in history class?!”

“Mhm-mhm!” Dawn nodded, matter-of-factly, as Ash crossed his arms and looked away as if it wasn’t a big deal. “A coverup by the International Police. They do that a lot; not interesting. No, the reward is what’s important.”

Ash rolled his eyes. “I didn’t get a reward because I didn’t want one.”

Dawn winced, smile becoming strained. “Oof. You didn’t say that!”

“Ash!”

He smiled as a feminine voice called out to them from an open eating pavilion, and he raised his hand and waved at a redheaded girl in her late teens, wearing a flower crown, blue belly tank, and white skirt.

“Melody!”

Dawn leaned in and whispered. “Ash, how can you say getting your first kiss wasn’t a reward? Melody would be crushed.”

“Dawn!” Ash choked as the redhead ran forward to meet him, wearing sunglasses. “How did you—M-Melody, it’s been a few years!”

The islander gave him a dubious look. “Were you talking about me? You look flustered, and we talked yesterday on the phone.”

“Y-Yeah, but, hah, we haven’t met up and chatted s-since you told me about training with High Guardian Maria at Snowpoint Temple.”

Dawn’s eyes lit up. “You trained under Maria as a priestess?! I’ve heard a lot about you from Ash and Misty, but not that little detail. I love visiting Snowpoint Temple; Cynthia and I try to get there quite often. You must have frozen to death, growing up in this heat!”

Rhea studied the laughing girl; her hair was darker than Misty or Amira’s but not quite maroon. Attached to her belt was the same ocarina as the young girl on the statue.

“You have no idea; Maria is Muking ruthless!” Melody said, hugging Ash while talking to Dawn. “She insists we wear dresses and acclimate to the chill. And the hikes! Haha. Kill me!”

“We’re about to go shopping. Want to join us? My treat!”

Rhea shorted and gave her a look. “You mean my aunt’s treat?”

“Haha! True. I’m pretty bad,” she grinned, ticking out her tongue. “She did the same thing to me on her Hoenn trip to fake-see your mom.”

“Huh? Fake-see… Oh, Steven!” Rhea said, snapping her fingers. “Yeah, she always says there’s nothing happening there, but Gossip says otherwise,” she thoughtfully whispered.

Ash’s chuckle brought their focus.

“Something funny to share?” Dawn eagerly questioned. “What’s the news?”

Rhea remembered the first conversation she had with Dawn when she showed up in Vermilion. Despite her ‘teenagers’ comment, the woman was just as much of a degenerate as any of them when it came to gossip, just not when it pertained to herself.

Ash rubbed his chin. “I may have overheard Alder flirting with Cynthia at one point.”

Melody gave him the same dull look that Dawn and Rhea leveled at the Legend.

“What?” he asked defensively. “Is that not news?”

“Ashy,” Melody snickered. “Former Champion Alder is a very well-known flirt that will shoot his shot at any woman. My big sister caught his eye one time, you know?”

Ash forced a laugh. “Coral? No way. Did she go out with him?”

Melody’s mouth twitched with humor while taking a phone out of her purse and guiding them toward a tourist shopping district. “As you can see… Coral had fun on his dime, touring Castelia City, talking about me and you, funnily enough, since he wanted to hear a first-hand account of the event. She says he was a blast to hang around, loud, funny, and witty.”

“That’s Alder,” Dawn smiled. “He can pull people out of their shells fairly easily… Eh-hehe. Look at Iris; she went from a Fire Fang to a raging G-Max Blast Burn!”

Rhea looked down, recalling the support Alder gave Bianca and how highly her cousin talked about the Former Champion. “Alder really helped my cousin and her husband. Wait, how did we get on this conversation topic?”

The three adults laughed and shrugged, Melody and Dawn taking the lead in guiding them into some of the local clothing shops. The two women instantly went to the bathing suit section, debating over styles with Rhea enjoying the energy and experience; she learned a lot about fashion from the two.

Ash was caught in the mix with her, trapped in the impossible situation of being the tie-breaker between them as they battled over polka dots, stripes, and various cuts or styles. Rhea was stunned when the two opinionated women agreed on one for her, and she liked it.

Dawn held up the one-piece, front-twist bathing suit. “Olive-green is a yes!”

“Agreed!” Melody chimed. “Olive-green is a great compliment to your blonde hair; the deep-green color brings out the gold tones in your hair and will make your skin look glowy!”

“Really?” Rhea asked, scanning the item with a smile. “Amira says red looks good on blondes, and Kate told me blues are good… Hehe, which so happen also to match their hair color—well, Kate says sky-blue, to be fair when her color is more cobalt-blue.”

Dawn flipped through a nearby rack of bikinis and plucked out the two colors to hold them up. “They’re both not wrong; red makes you stand out, gives off that confident vibe, and looks best on blondes with pale skin, and you’ve been getting a lot tanner since you started your journey, girl!”

“Have I?” Rhea asked Nova.

Ash lifted an eyebrow, hands on his hips as he looked between the items. “I mean, I don’t know; they all seem like they’d look good on her. Rhea’s just a beautiful girl.”

“Aww, how sweet and totally worthless of you!” Dawn teased, making him roll his eyes and Pikachu laugh. “Girls with darker skin can pull off red, but it might not be the best color—fashion is a science, Ash.”

“And you have a Masters, huh?”

Melody gave Dawn an impressed nod and caused the blue-haired girl to point at her for emphasis. “More like a Ph.D. from what I’ve seen.”

“Kate’s suggestion of sky-blue is a great option for blondes who want to wear a light color; it’s flattering on all skin tones and hair colors. If you have pale skin, the sky-blue swimsuit will make you look like you have a summer glow! Every girl loves a good summer glow! Black is a classy and chic choice, too, but is better for darker skin tones, so…”

“The tanner I get, the better black is!” Rhea finished.

“Such a quick study!” Dawn cooed. “What do you say—a one-piece? Bikini?”

Rhea took the olive-green one-piece to claps from one of the female store attendants, Melody, and Dawn. She went in and changed, hearing more banter between Melody, Dawn, and Ash; the two outgoing women really pulled out Ash’s talkative side, and it was entertaining to see them put the Legend into awkward social positions he’d have to find a way to slip out of.

Dawn went for a solid black one-shoulder bikini, while Melody selected a yellow one with the opposite shoulder as Dawn’s to contrast the Sinnoh woman.

On the way toward the beach, they bought a beach ball to play with and a matching blue pair of sunglasses for Nova and her to share; Pikachu and Piplup had somehow procured their own from seemingly nowhere.

The light-blue tint to the scenery cooled her mind as they played, and Melody got to know her better; she could feel the woman analyzing her Aura throughout the day, which was the primary reason they’d come to her.

Rhea learned that after Ash, Pikachu, and she had saved the world, Melody had grown to really love her island’s culture and history. The redhead began to take her priestess duties seriously, exploring more about the mysteries surrounding her islands that reportedly was the origin of all waters and life itself.

She took them to the Shamouti Island Shrine after lunch, where Rhea dared them to jump off the point into the shimmering ocean below. Dawn didn’t hesitate to pick Ash up and throw him over, Melody bumping into her right after and making her scream on the way down before diving after the pair. Rhea was right behind them, laughing as she dove off.

The rush of the warm waters was met by a rich ecosystem of sea life, both Pokemon and fish. Nova transformed into a Vaporeon on the way down with Piplup and Pikachu; her Eevee was thrilled to act as her underwater transport for the first time, and Rhea hugged her warm body as Nova carried them through the ocean currents to join Ash, Dawn, and Melody.

A vibrant coral reef teemed with wild Pokemon met them, swimming over to communicate with Nova; her beauty apparently drew a crowd of Squirtle, Poliwag, Seel, Politoed, Octillery, Tentacool, Slowpoke, and Vaporeon. Two large Gyarados exited a cave to see what the commotion was about, and Dewgong watched from a distance at the packs of Seel circling them. It didn’t take long for an excited swarm of Wooper, Mantine, and Marill to join their path through the pristine reef.

A cute and energetic Totodile exited his Poke Ball from Ash’s belt as he pointed at Dawn with a smiling glare. Piplup and Dawn’s entertained laughter died in chokes at the surprise reveal, the little Penguin Pokemon shooting at his trainer; they took off with Ash in pursuit. It was water tag, and the race was on!

Melody waved at one of the Politoed, who broke away from the sidelines to act as her shuttle. Rhea was impressed as Dawn and Piplup rocketed out of the water, flying up several meters for the woman to catch her breath and flip around to attack the pursuing Totodile and Legend.

Laughter came from Ash and Dawn, Pikachu riding a Mantine after the pair. “You’re done, Dawn!”

“Only if you can catch us, Slowpoke; let’s do it, Piplup!”

“Pip-Pip!”

Dawn held Piplup against her belly, facing Ash as the little guy released a Hydro Pump he had no business releasing at his tiny size to engulf Ash.

“Nice try!” Ash roared.

His Totodile didn’t even flinch, muscles flexing as his body illuminated a bright orange and accelerated them after the two.

The aura seemed to deflect the vast spray of water, displacing it only for Pilpup to shine a bright blue.

“Not bad, but don’t lose your hat!” A huge portion of the ocean below launched into the air, the reverse Waterfall bringing the excited ocean Pokemon into an aerial loop. “Let’s take this to the sky, shorty!”

Rhea was not used to this kind of spiral, anti-gravity swirl of water as she entered the upward tide, following the pair. Melody grinned and gave her a thumbs up; Nova wasn’t going to get left behind. Ash and Dawn had other plans, though, as they became a blur, Aqua Jet carrying them both to the end of the sky-bound waterfall in an instant to fly into the air, Dawn trying to escape the Legend and his Totodile.

Nova rode the cyclone with determination to see how far they could go. Rhea was flabbergasted at how Dawn had managed to make such a crazy Move work that allowed Gyarados to climb with them from an unevolved Starter; the ocean Pokemon were enjoying the ride. She had to imagine this was what it was like for her aunt and other Legendary-tier Trainers that got together; it also showed the power Buddy Bonding had.

When the water started to lose momentum, already a bit above the cliff they’d jumped off of, Nova shot away, prompting her to hold tight, and she drew in her energy to blast the ocean with a Water Gun to slow their descent; it wasn’t nearly as effective as Ash and Dawn, blasting through the sky and making rainbows and changing the weather over the island, but it worked.

Melody landed next to her, shaking with laughter. “Ash is not going to let that wrestling throw go! Haha! I think he’s had enough of Dawn’s antics. She seems to love pushing him… It’s nice to see someone who can keep up with him… I don’t see this side of him often.”

Resting on Nova’s back in the choppy waters as rain fell over them with the sun starting to fall in the sky, Rhea forced a laugh. “It has been fun seeing Ash and Dawn together… So, umm, how is my Aura?”

Melody hummed, looking into the sky, where Ash and Dawn still played in what most people would describe as a Championship match without releasing any dangerous Aura or pressure, which was probably even more impressive; this was them having fun.

“…I think they’ll be a while, so why don’t we take a short break.” She unstrapped her instrument from her side and made a few beautiful notes; Rhea felt a gentle reverberation in the Aura-laced music. “Why don’t we sunbathe and chat a little about it?”

“I’d like that,” Rhea grinned, stroking Nova’s side. “Want to have some fun with the others—eh-heh, is Pikachu surfing—where did he get the board?”

“Pika-Pi!” the electric rat cheered, wearing his sunglasses; they’d left theirs on the cliff, but he seemed to have somehow gone back to get them. “Pikachu!”

“Vap-vap!” Nova called. “Vap?”

Rhea’s gaze fixated on a dark shape that swam under them, and a large Lapras exited the water to nuzzle Meldoy.

“Hehe. Our ride is here. Yeah, it’s been a while!”

Rhea swapped over to the large Pokemon’s back, wide enough to allow both of them to comfortably lay down and stare up at the sky. Melody used her instrument again to call a few Pidgey to grab their sunglasses. Mimey appeared to be doing his own sunbathing on the cliff.

Blue shades in place, Rhea used the product Melody gave her and relaxed, letting the falling sun’s rays kiss her skin. It felt so nice, and she couldn’t believe how free being a Legendary-tier Trainer seemed.

Ash could teleport anywhere he wanted in an instant and had Pokemon that could carry him around to the most interesting places on the planet. He was probably one of the most well-traveled people in the world, like her grandfather, and he seemed to have so much fun.

Rhea sighed, looking up at the blue sky; maybe she should have brought Alice, Lulu, and Mya because today had been fun, but she was sure Amira and Lori had shown them a good time.

A rumble came from Melody’s throat. “Ash tells me you’ve had trouble with the Shamanistic side of Aura and that you’re out of balance… He can’t tell me your experience, though. What do you think?”

“Hmm… It’s weird, I guess,” Rhea whispered, letting the waves and sounds of ocean Pokemon cleanse her thoughts and soul. “I’ve gotten these weird vibes since Lavender City. Walking with ghosts in dreams, speaking to an ancient Shrine Maiden, looking for her lost lover, and hearing a voice that confuses me…”

“Confuses you how?” Melody questioned, flipping to her back and untying her bikini. “Mmm… From what I’m sensing, I don’t think it’s your Shamanistic side of the thing that is giving you trouble. I’m a Priestess of Balance, which is a fancy way of saying I’m an Aura Synergist specialist—heh, maybe I have that backward—but it means I focus on the balance of things. You aren’t in balance, but that talisman you’re wearing is supporting your Shamanistic side.”

“Okay…” Rhea followed the woman’s example, flipping over to rest her head against the shockingly soft shell of the Lapras; she’d read they could change its texture to provide an incredibly comfortable riding experience. “I heard my childhood best friend’s thoughts yesterday like a Psychic, which was confusing. Is that important?”

“Mmh, I don’t think it was your friend’s thoughts.”

“Huh?” Rhea’s head lifted to look at the relaxing and smiling woman. “If it wasn’t him, then who would it be? No one else was around, well, except for my Pokemon.”

Turning her head the opposite way and pulling her braided hair to the opposite side, Melody aimed a thoughtful look her way through her yellow-tinted glasses. “I’ve never sensed anyone quite like you, Rhea… It’s like you have another soul inside of you, and this one is ridiculously powerful. Oh, don’t worry, though; she’s trying not to hurt you.

“You also don’t need to tell me about it if you don’t want to or don’t know. I can help a bit, I think, but it will only be a patch. If I knew more, then maybe I could recommend something, but—”

“Victini…” Rhea whispered, making Melody’s eyebrows come together. “I have a Victini Core inside of me. Could she be the one that said that to me… Can you speak to Pokemon because… I don’t know.”

“A Victini, huh? Well, that explains the power…”

“Is she in pain?” Rhea pressed as Melody tied her bikini and swapped to her front again. “My mom has been looking at some stuff over the last week, trying to isolate something with my bond, I think… I’m getting a little worried she hasn’t called, actually. Umm. What about the Victini?”

Melody adjusted her glasses and pushed her lips to the side. “There’s frustration there, for sure, but not animosity, like something you might feel from an evil spirit. I’m still reading the Aura waves inside of you because it is stronger than I am, so it may take a few more hours for me to grasp the proper procedure.”

She pushed herself up and took off her sunglasses, flashing her teeth and nudging her head toward Pikachu and Nova, sharing a surfboard as the electric rat showed her how to do tricks in the waves with the Gyarados using Surf to stir up the water for them.

“Why don’t we have some fun, and we can talk about it later tonight over ice cream? I’ll get a better read on it as you go through ups and downs throughout the day.”

“Sounds good,” Rhea smiled, checking the security of her braid before thanking the kind Lapras and jumping into the ocean with Melody.

Enjoying herself for the rest of the evening, Ash and Dawn came flying out of the sky before wrestling underwater with their Pokemon cheering them on. Rhea sat on the sidelines with Melody, placing bets on who would win; she didn’t factor in Dawn’s propensity to fight dirty, though, and a twist in the right place had his lungs filling with water.

Not long after, Ash was lying dead on the beach with Pikachu pumping liquid out of his lungs, Dawn’s chest heaving but laughing nonetheless. “I win! Haha… 35 to 32, and still the reigning—ack, champion!” she roared, foot on the man’s chest as he choked out water. “Happy Starter Day!”

“Pika-Pikachu!” the electric rat cried, begging him not to die.

Rhea’s stomach hurt at their antics; the two really were insanely compatible.

“Festering darkness is buried deep within her soul… Living in a hollow, isolated by dark secrets she cannot share with anyone, and she cannot take it. She hates herself. All she wants is to be honest… But she can’t.”

Wringing out her wet hair, Rhea froze as a somber emotion whispered inside her core—more feminine now that she was looking for it—which caused Melody’s eye to snap toward her.

Rhea’s gaze drifted to Dawn, face red with laughter, and all she could feel from her Aura was unmitigated joy and happiness, yet there was this chilling undertone she couldn’t understand that rippled from a 3rd source within Rhea’s core; the haunting projection had to have come from the Victini inside her.

“Phew… Haha! Well, we good for ice cream now?” Dawn asked, wiping the tears away from her eyes and breathing heavily before collapsing to her butt. “Ugh… I’m so sore! Ash is so rough with me.”

“Ugh! Who’s rough with who?” Ash huffed, swapping to his side to support his head, and smiled at his best friend with a few coughs. “Ack—you are ridiculous. I’m good with ice cream—and it’s still 34, Champ; you cheated.”

“I’m the Mukin’ worst!” Dawn grinned, holding out her hand and helping him up. “You know I always cheat against you; 35, baby, and I won’t accept anything less! Let’s go—eh, where’s Mimey? My card’s gone!” she mumbled while going through her purse. “That trickster! If he was going to take someone’s card, it should have been Cynthia’s… Everything okay, Rhea?”

Rhea tried to smile as she gave her an innocent look. “No, yeah… Umm. Check your phone. Maybe we can find out where he’s at by what he’s buying?”

“Good plan!” Ash grunted, brushing sand off him and bringing Pikachu up to his shoulder. “Ice cream?”

“Ice cream,” Dawn sighed, checking her account. “Got the location, Mel?”

Melody squinted at the name and laughed. “Only the most expensive ice cream store on the island.”

“Great…”

Rhea picked up Nova, back as an Eevee, and looked at her with concern. Ash seemed to notice something was wrong but distracted Dawn on their way to the area to allow Melody to talk to her.

“What was it this time—the voice again?”

Rhea rubbed her arm and looked at Dawn, snickering and teasing Ash as he retaliated with his own verbal assault. “You said the Victini is really strong, right? Can she… sense things better than me or share my abilities or something?”

“It’s possible,” Melody hummed. “I think I can create a bridge for you two to meet for a bit, but you’ll be down for probably most of tonight and tomorrow once I start the process. Think of it like… two planets being brought into orbit that spins faster and faster until they collide and break apart again.”

Melody rubbed her instrument and frowned. “Will it fix the problem? No. But you will have a better idea about what you’re dealing with so Ash can better fine-tune your Aura training.”

“Pwe-pwee?”

Rhea squeezed Nova, held against her chest as she pawed her wrist and looked up at her.

I know you’re worried. You don’t feel it like I do, right?

Nova shook her head, ears drooping.

No, it’s not bad that you can’t. This is something… between Victini and me. Lulu will probably go through something like this in time, too, which means I need to know how to help her, too. Umm. I think I’m going to do this. Don’t do something crazy like not go out with your mom tomorrow. Just explain things to Mya, Alice, and Lulu. Okay? We’ll talk about this tomorrow night when we start training for the Gym Battle.

She nuzzled her arm, telling her she trusted her.

Breathing out the stress in her chest, Rhea nodded at Melody. “Let’s do it tonight, after ice cream. Thank you for helping me, Melody.”

“Of course,” she whispered, rubbing her back. “I take my job as the upcoming High Priestess of the Orange Archipelago seriously. Spending time between each of the islands with Zapdos, Articuno, Moltres, and Lugia—whenever the two love birds decide to stop by—has taught me a lot about harmony and balance. It’s nice playing a part in helping them work through their differences… Hehe. There are ages of grievances to work through.”

“Sounds exhausting!”

“Mmh. It’s actually more beautiful once you bring the four in unity…. They could be the next greatest support we have whenever the Ultra Wormholes open again. It’s not all destruction and hatred; unity brings an enlightening I can explain.”

“Hopefully, I will find that at some point,” she whispered, shifting Nova to hold a hand against her chest. “I’d like to get to know the Victini inside me.”

“Pwe-pwe.”

“Haha. Yes, Nova, I know you want to meet her too.”

“Pwe!”

Making their way to the ice cream shop, they found Mimey dancing around a table filled with sweets, sampling each. Dawn’s face was livid, making the Mr. Mime quake and put up a barrier, gather up the goods, and teleport away.

Dawn hung her head and sighed, apparently too tired after the battle with Ash to go after the Pokemon. She curbed her depression through sweets, and Melody explained what she’d discovered to the two. Ash promised to get her back to her room to rest when they started, and an hour later, Melody took them to her home to perform the synchronizing process.

Closing her eyes on her bed with Nova cuddled up on her chest, the redhead played her song, and Rhea felt the soothing Aura waves pull her mind inward, directing her toward a place far, far away, yet closer than anyone had ever been to the truth hidden somewhere deep inside her soul. Rhea drifted into warm, welcoming darkness until she entered a realm of comforting flames.

A hot voice pressed against her entire being, lifting her mind out of the haze. “It’s been a long time since we’ve talked. Hello, Little Ember.”