2:40 p.m. October 19th, Monday, 106 PH (Post Hoopa Event). Day 132.

Events: Rhea and the girls are on a Badge Hunt, trying to get all the Kanto Encrusted Badges before time runs out! Our girl started her journey on the 9th of June, and the end of registration for the Winter Indigo Cup is December 5th (46 days away).

Using her mom’s phone to text Lori and Amira, having the pair meet them in the Gym’s Center, Rhea tried to keep her thumping heart under control. A fire ran through her veins, making her want to do something active: V’s power went beyond drugs since it touched every fiber of her being.

Things started to settle down as Saffron’s audience filed out of the stadium, and for that reason, she stayed with her parents behind the closed doors of the Gym’s private clinic, not wanting to get swarmed by reporters or curious viewers. Everyone was going out for lunch in the hour break between Silver and Gold; of course, the Gold-tier Trainers would be in the locker room, mentally preparing themselves to face Sabrina.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her mom on her phone messaging back and forth with Lyra; from the moment her dad had allowed her mom on his lap, she’d refused to budge, enjoying his arms around her stomach. It was calming to see them acting lovey-dovey with one another, and she could tell her dad was enjoying every minute of his wife’s attention. For once, she wasn’t rushing off to the next research project and just relaxing with her hubby.

“Hmm. And what are you thinking about, Honey Pot?” her mother asked with a chirp and smile that made her crease an eyebrow.

“Uh-huh. And obviously, Lori’s texting you to see if you’re using one of her many nicknames for me. Hehe. How long until Amira gets here? Did she say she’d bring my stuff?”

Focus returning to her phone, her blonde mom leaned back a little with an impish look in her blue eyes as she teased her dad by tickling his nose with her high ponytail. “You didn’t give her the code to your locker, eep—Keith, d-don’t tickle me—I-I can’t, hehe, I can’t type!”

“Then say you surrender!” he shot back, having endured her playful actions for the last few minutes now. “What, you can’t handle the Ariados crawling up your belly? Where’s it going? Uh-oh. It’s found an opening!”

“Keith—not my armpits, hehe—stop!”

“Rhea, she’s trying to escape! Double Team!”

“On it!” she giggled, hopping up to sandwich her mother against her dad. “Go for the kill shot—and I totally gave her the pin, you liar!”

“R-Rhea! I-I can’t breathe! H-Help! Nova, Lulu!”

“Neee?! Nenene? Ne?”

“Pwe!”

“Neeee?!”

Her puffball floated up in a panic as Nova hopped up on the chair beside them, Mya taking the other side to lick both sides of her mom’s cheeks; her fits of laughter were accompanied by tears, phone dropping from her hands, which Rhea promptly snatched and retreated.

“That… that wasn’t even… Not fair,” her mom wept, collapsing on the carpet in front of her dad as he went down after her, allowing her to wrestle him to the side and sit atop him. “Hah! Nova, Mya, get his arms—who’s on top now, Sweetie—and I’ve researched every weak point on your body!”

“Christie, not my sides! Hahaha! Where’s my backup?”

Brushing her ponytail over her shoulder while plopping down in their warm seat, Rhea’s cheeks hurt from smiling, now taking over her mom’s phone. “We were double agents the whole time! Yes, she got my purse. Wait… Sabrina messaged you, Mom?”

She looked up to see her mother fall over her dad in a fit of teenage-like hiccup-giggles, breathing heavily and skin bright red. “Wow… that—when was the last time we did something like that?”

“673 days—mmm!”

“Oh, shut up,” her mother laughed, pressing her lips against his to quiet him down. “Haha. Sorry, Honey, I know you must feel so embarrassed. Ugh… My face must look horrid right now… Why am I so tired?”

“Aww. I can make it all better,” her dad whispered, pushing himself up to kiss her again. “And, yes, Rhea, Sabrina sent us a telepathic message, asking if we had plans to go anywhere. I’m sure it’s half-business, half-pleasure; she needs to do a follow-up after your Aura Burst. There! Now you look perfect,” he said, showing a lipstick-stained smile.

“Cool.” Rhea leaned to the side to let Alice and Mya lick her cheek and sit next to her as Nova and Lulu returned to their conversation with Istar. “I can see if Nurse Joy has a room in the back for you, Mom. Hehe. Do you need a change of clothes, too?”

Her mom flipped to her back against her dad’s chest to look up at her with a pouty glare she’d rarely seen directed at her throughout her entire life; it brought a swarm of Butterfree that made her want to tease her mom even more.

“No, I do not need a change of clothes, but I was dangerously close to needing new garments, thanks to a traitorous daughter. Haaa… Hehe. Now I’m a little embarrassed; I completely forgot where we were…”

Scooting off her dad and using him to push herself up, her blushing mom straightened her blouse and pulled up on her pants, which had slipped down a little in the tussle. “Umm. Yeah, I’m going to have to go to the locker room or something to fix my hair and face. I’ll be back…”

She moved around the employee barrier and gingerly opened the door to the back, knocking on the wood. “Hello, Ms. Joy, umm, sorry to be a bother and causing trouble, but… could I, uh…”

The pink-haired nurse giggled from further inside the clinic. “Of course, Mrs. Everhart. It’s at the end of the hall on the left. I was actually wondering if I could get your quick opinion on a few cases. One of my cousins from a long-lost branch in Paldea sent this strange file to me… It has a rather unusual genetic map.”

“Of course! Just give me a moment.”

Rhea flipped through the messages sent by her teammates and Sabrina, noticing how often her Aunt Cynthia kept in contact with her mom; there wasn’t a day that they hadn’t talked for a few minutes or sent a few texts to check up on one another. She was half-tempted to snoop through her mom’s photos further when her dad picked up Mya to sit down and place the steely girl on his lap.

She quickly locked her mom’s device and dropped it on her lap. “What’s up, Dad?!”

“Hehe. Well, that voice brings back memories.”

“What… voice?” she slowly asked, showing an innocent smile.

He leaned over to kiss the side of her head with a chuckle. “The voice that says I’m thinking about doing something I shouldn’t and don’t want to get caught, which is better than the aggressive, ‘I’m not doing anything’ voice you have when I knock on the door, and you’re on your computer, deleting steamy Gossip or drama fanfiction tabs.”

Rhea’s eyes narrowed, one name seething from her lips, “Franky…”

Her dad laughed and took a comfortable position, fixing parts of his own outfit that her mother had pushed out of place in their tickle war. “I’m impressed with how well you were able to hide things from a Ghost growing up. I suppose you would learn ways to bribe or distract him. It was always funny to come home and see him licking an ice cream cone, telling me you were up to something.”

“Huh…” Rhea’s head tilted to the left, thinking back on her mischievous deeds of sneaking out with Jason or looking into steamy Master gossip she really shouldn’t have been embarrassed following. “I was so… stupid, thinking you didn’t know a thing; that would be super sus. He probably finished the ice cream or candy and… That’s how you always caught me when I ran away. Wow… I’m special.”

Her dad joined her laughter, leaning over to pull her head against his shoulder. “You’re my special girl… I’m surprised you haven’t asked me more about your outburst. I know you’re practically bouncing off the walls inside, wanting to move—you never were a foot tapper.”

She groaned as he tapped her bouncing right knee. “I guess I just want to run rather than think right now, which… is probably a weakness, now that you bring it up. I could be in a battle and charge head-first into danger without thinking.”

Letting her dad’s touch focus her mind, Rhea hugged herself as a shiver ran down her spine. “Dad… do you think I can heal Terri?”

Silence stretched for a few seconds as her father pushed his mouth to the side, processing her question. “Terri… As in the Fighting Dojo Terri? You’ve never met her. How did this get into your head?”

She shrugged, moving the phone onto the other seat and pulling Alice onto her lap, not really having an answer to give. “Ash got us in contact with Kyle—the ramen shop guy… Do you know who he is?”

A hot puff of air shot through her dad’s nose, a somber sheen passing over his eyes. “Yes… Kyle went to just about every Grandmaster Trainer in Johto and Kanto, looking for a cure for Terri’s… condition. Despite everyone’s efforts, none of us had the unique talents needed to grant his wish. He cares a lot for Terri.”

Rhea’s bottom lip tucked under, feeling cold as she reflected on what she felt from her newly awakened Aura Sense when with the man in the hospital room with the comatose ginger.

It’s so much worse than that… Deeper.

The doors to her heart pricked with fire, experiencing the numbness and fake cheer he put on to the rest of the world; it was so similar to the hopeless man she’d comforted only a short time before learning about Terri’s story and Kyle’s feelings.

He’d sacrifice his dreams… his restaurant… cooking… everything to see Terri wake up and smile. Kyle’s Aura was screaming out for help, to help him feel something again after his sense of taste and the vibrance of color faded into a numbing void upon seeing the woman he loved comatose in a hospital bed.

“There are sometimes people I can just… connect with… understand.” Heat rose up her throat, burning her nose as she fought back tears. “Certain people just… hit me so much harder than others, and it’s like… like…”

Her dad’s arm tensed against hers, his voice low. “Like you can do something to bring someone back to life… to offer a hand and change… everything they are. It is a gift and a curse that your mother is terrified of… for what it might do to you.”

A lump slid down her throat, a quake running through her frame. “What is it… My Helping Hand ability?”

He shifted to press his head against hers. “That, among other abilities interacting with it… When you saw her in the hospital bed, you weren’t just sensing Kyle’s Aura, but things from Terri, as well, which resonated between their spiritual connection… How are you feeling right now?”

Her tight muscles melted like butter as she closed her eyes to search her heart. “It feels like… When I stayed at the dojo… walked around the city… when I went with him to see her in the hospital… I just… It feels like this one thing could change so many people’s lives… Can I do it?”

Looking up into her dad’s amber irises, gazing off to the side, taking her question seriously, she waited for his verdict. After a few seconds, he sighed and ran his free hand through his ruffled blond hair.

“From your match against Sabrina… it’s clear your Aura does have the capability of breaking past seals—such as Imprison—which would require… Well, let’s just say it’s not a common ability, and you could also possibly heal in unconventional ways. The issue is… Honey, you don’t have nearly the control to be able to accomplish it without burning Terri’s soul to cinders.”

“Oh. Well… hehe… I don’t want to do that. Okay… Haaa. It’s possible, though, so that’s awesome. It will just take me a lot longer to do it. I just… I think it’s the right thing to do right now,” she mumbled, cheer dampening a bit as she played with Alice’s fluff. “I learned so much from Maria at her temple… It’s so frustrating when I know I can do something… I just can’t do it right.”

Pressure squeezed her shoulder, her dad pulling her in closer with a gentle smile. “When did I say it wasn’t something we could accomplish?”

“You said I couldn’t—wait… We?” Goosebumps ran across Rhea’s skin, and she sat straighter, excitement budding in her chest. “Can we do it before we eat? Please, Dad! I want to do it while I have V’s power inside me. You really mean it?!”

A low, feminine voice interrupted them, rainbow lights bringing Sabrina into the room, who promptly sat on a chair and crossed her legs; she was in a red sweater dress that fell to her thighs, and black leggings covered her lower half.

At the same time, another flash of colors brought the Rocket family nearby, Lyra holding up a V-symbol. “Hello! What a victory, Rhea, Nova. Oh, and I can’t forget you, Mya!”

If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

“Maw-maw!”

“Pwee!”

The Grandmaster Psychic wore a sweet smile that contrasted her stage persona. “Hmm. Aren’t you two having an enthralling conversation? By the way, Erika is in the city for the opening of a flower-themed four-star hotel; they have a rooftop restaurant. She wanted to know if we wanted to join her. Interested? What do you think, Lyra?”

Lyra snickered, holding onto her husband. “I think you’re using this as an excuse to see your best friend. Her husband isn’t along to steal her attention, right? I loved you channeling your inner villainess from your ‘Mystery Doors of the Magical Land’ role. Now you’re dressed to have a fun day with friends, despite only having an hour and a half free. You’re really pulling out all the stops today!”

Sabrina chuckled, pulling her straightened black hair over her shoulder. “Poor Erika is at the whims of her narcolepsy, which means she often has trouble in group settings. It’s been a few months since we’ve been able to find the time to have fun together like when we were in our twenties… back when we had so much less responsibility.”

Rhea got up to meet Amira, Alice hopping off her lap to join Mariah and Serenity. A small smile lifted her sore cheeks as she added her own thoughts on the subject. “Plus, her daughter is out of the house now, on her own journey. I saw on Gossip that Kalayna wasn’t even in the region, which is crazy. She went to Galar? Thanks, Amira,” she said, taking the offered purse.

Her dad got up and stretched as Mya raced to join the other Pokemon. “Mmm! Yeah, from what Erika told me, Kalayna wanted to go somewhere she hadn’t gone before and spread her wings. I’m fine with a more exclusive spot. If we’re going to give Terri back her life, we need to do a little legwork, which should be more than possible with so many teleporters here. Thoughts, Boss?” he asked the blue-eyed Gym Leader. “You’re the one on the clock.”

Sabrina’s irises flashed pink, her hair rising and dress fluttering slightly, no doubt peering into the future. Rhea held her breath, hugging her purse against her chest as Amira gave her a supportive smile before slipping into the back to see how her Pokemon were recovering.

“Hmm… I see… Your idea is to use Lyra’s potent Aura Control and innate attributes to provide guard rails for Rhea, while I stimulate her psyche and protect her mind. An interesting plan…” Her gaze shifted to the brown-haired borderline Legendary-tier woman, cheerily bobbing her head left and right. “Can you handle the Aura surge, Lyra?”

“Easily!” the brunette chirped. “All I need to do is contain the radial force and keep it from damaging anyone nearby while funneling it into Terri. Yours will be the toughest job, Sabrina, since you need to stimulate her brain and link all the damage done to her brain, which makes me think…”

The Psychic nodded, making Rhea’s heart sing; this could make so many people happy. “We’ll need to co-opt Erika since her Pokemon are the most suited to restore Terri’s damaged brain tissue, allowing me to act on a deeper level… I can’t see how it will turn out due to the complexity that this will require, but… Yes, Rhea, it might be the best odds Terri has had for a full recovery… if you can break past the supernatural barriers chaining her spirit.”

It felt like freezing ice water was dumped over her head. “Supernatural barriers? I’m… not following.”

“Not following what?” Lori grumbled, slipping through the door with her competitor ID card while trying to escape the horde of reporters following her. “I had to Mukin’ fight my way out of—oh, uh… What did I miss?” she whispered, spotting their teammate and Rhea’s mom slip through the doorway, Poke Balls in the redhead’s hands, and the blonde woman cleaned up.

Her dad was the one to answer, his warm hand rubbing her back and drawing her gaze up to his soft amber eyes. “The biggest block to Terri’s soul—and the real issue—has to do with the spiritual seals preventing Aura recovery and locking her into a nightmare that the Shadow Martial Artist cast on her… A curse. It would require a powerful Spiritualist to remove it even to begin the complex recovery process.”

The hair on the back of her neck prickled while recalling the spiritual sensations she’d experienced from the Spiritualist in Lavender and at the Shrine of Widow’s Peak. Her fingers moved to brush against the bead bracelet she’d bought back in the ghostly city, which the Ghost of Maiden’s Peak had touched. It wasn’t so much that the news frightened her than shocked her.

“Okay… What do we need to do?” Amira asked, showing a supportive smile as determination welled up within Rhea’s core. “Can we do it and go out to eat after? Not to be the downer, but it kind of feels like having our cake and eating it, too,” she laughed. “I’m also worried Rhea might faint on the spot, and she won’t eat anything after.”

“Power bar!” Rhea shouted, digging one out of her purse to hold it up like a weapon as her stomach growled. “I’ll just refuse to pass out! Watch me.”

They all chuckled, and Lyra broke away from her sharply dressed husband to pull her into a strong hug. “You’re going to have to open up that dangerous gate again, Sunshine, but don’t fret because I’ll keep you golden!”

Pulling away with an energetic zeal in her voice as she took command, she pointed at the pink-eyed woman. “Sabrina, you’re on best friend duty! Kidnap our sleepy flower lady and sweep her off her feet. Hehe. Make her feel young and not in control again! You can blame it all on me.”

The Psychic’s chest shook with laughter, arms held against her belly. “It’s so surreal to see how different you are when angry or happy, Lyra.”

“Ho-ho! He-he-he. Not so, Ms. Dual Personality,” the brunette stated with her hands on her hips. “It’s how different I am when I’m livid and when I’m a beaming summer day! I’m not so different when I’m just mad or happy. Right, My Little Cherry Pepper?” she sang, dancing back over to her husband.

“Of course, Sweetie.” Rhea suppressed a giggle as he shook his head in protest to his previous words when outside her sight.

“See, straight from the Crobat’s mouth! Now, Sabrina: best friend kidnap duty. And Keith: kidnapping the ramen cook duty! I’m breaking into the target’s room with the gang. We’re now criminals again, boys and girls, so channel that inner Rocket, crew; we got a job to do!”

“Again?” Rhea mumbled as Sabrina gave them a wave, rainbow light carrying her away.

“Let’s hope she’s not asleep, or I might need to give her a dream scare.”

“Nothing too scary!” Lyra shouted as the woman vanished. “Sabrina can be scary…”

Excitement welled up within her as her mom moved around the groups to pull her into an embrace. “We’ll go prepare Kyle for the spiritual surgery; understandably, he’ll be a mess. See you soon.”

Breaking away to be welcomed into her dad’s arms, a motherly look on her face, Rhea’s heart swelled, feeling light as air as colorful light twinkled around her parents. They didn’t have to say anything more as her dad’s Butterfree teleported them away; her parents were proud of her.

Without warning, Zelri spun out from behind Silver, the Porygon-Z teleporting all of them into a faintly lit hospital room. Rhea’s burning chest made her throat lock up, pressing her fist against her lips as she studied the sleeping woman.

She wasn’t sure what happened for a time, feeling the world flash by in a daze of emotion with the support projected to her upon spreading out her Aura. It was so much more colorful and vibrant than when she’d first started training with Ash, just out of Cerulean. If someone told her that she’d be practically Gold-tier a few months down the line, Rhea wouldn’t have believed them, yet here she was with four Encrusted Silver Badges, qualifying her for the Silver Cup.

Her thoughts were pulled through the past as she sat beside the ginger-haired martial artist, the noises and weight she’d felt before melting away. How far had she come in the last four and a half months?

From bonding with Nova and Mya to their first battle against Jason. She giggled, thinking about how different things were between them in such a short amount of time. Now, he was traveling around Kalos, shooting to get strong enough to beat her. Her best friend for as long as she could remember had kissed her and confessed his feelings before taking off on a boy’s trip. He’d messaged her, but this wasn’t the time for that kind of distraction.

The initial days with her teammates and her Wooloo friends, learning how to interact with other girls and how amazing Amira and Lori were. Well, how amazing Amira was. Lori was just a deviant dance fanatic with a penchant for making Rhea question herself. The time she’d spent in the woods with Sam, where they’d almost died from a murderous wild Nidorino.

She picked up Nova as her paws pressed against her knee, recalling their first Contest together. It had been an embarrassing loss. They would’ve had to do a few more if they had time before the Silver Cup. They deserved their redemption arc.

Her heart was still as Mya hopped into a seat beside her, trying to escape her hyperactive rival. They’d come a long way since her steely girl had put her in the hospital. From being a metal-headed elitist to being crushed against Forrest and building herself back up again, her Mawile really grew.

Then came their bouncy bunny, obsessed with speed and starting off with bad blood against her senior. Now, Alice had more than proven herself to their teammates and even helped Nova out with babysitting their quirky, fluff galaxy cheerleader.

Amira and Lucian’s beef that came to a head in Pewter had been tense, which spilled over into Cerulean, with his Champion mother showing up. It was insane how that had played out with their Fuchsia date and his confession.

Apple City’s alien threat still made her nervous, which, as was typical with her mom, she thought would be cool to reveal. Her mom was so disconnected. She sat back, stroking Nova’s fur as she curled up on her lap. Why wouldn’t she be upset with the possibility of her already very absent mother being kidnapped by extraterrestrial Clefairy?

The Plasma incident had been a total mess, but it had solidified them as a group and brought forward a lot of their insecurities that they could support one another with. Cerulean City had been mostly magical with the Summer Indigo Cup’s finale, Sea Temple visit, and insane dance party that Lori had summoned. She’d blacked out her first kiss. Was it even her first kiss? Who remembered that? Not her!

Yet, Lori’s high was crushed when they’d battled Misty, who could easily steal the Rookie Crusher title, with how brutal that match with Miky was and the trouble that followed it.

Her gaze drifted to the purple-haired Unovan girl, listening to music in the corner with Pokemon Terri. It had been a rough journey to Saffron, but they were better for it, and Miky seemed to be in a better place outside of battling. She’d spotted the girl looking at pictures of him again, which probably signaled that they’d be making a short pitstop up north before moving on.

That journey, she’d been totally checked out, though, since Ash was teaching her how to unlock her Aura. It was there that a whole new world opened up to her. It made sense, thinking back; Saffron had been when she’d really first bloomed with her Aura. It would have left an impression on her.

Lavender City-State certainly left an impression, from its creepy vibes to going out to eat with her family and her personal talk with Sabin, learning about her brother’s insecurities. The Ghost of Maiden’s Peak, and her expanding senses into the supernatural, was something she was still a little nervous about.

Then again, their Battle Dome performance had shown them that they could perform at Silver-tier, leading her to Vermilion Gym to face the new Fairy Gym Leader. It tickled her to think that she had been the first Challenger—Silver or not—to win the badge.

She suppressed a giggle when thinking about Ash’s love life as Dawn and Cloe came into the picture. Lori’s ceaseless teasing of the very likely future Sinnoh Champion was always fun to watch. However, the secret the many girls around Ash held close to the chest was certainly one that had Rhea at the edge of her seat.

Fuchsia had been a total change for them, leading up to their two months apart as a team, when she’d gone to the frozen death trap to the north to train under a tyrannical priestess. Their reunion and all that had come from that. Finally, she felt like she’d accomplished something great… something that had meaning.

A flame lit in her chest as rainbow lights brought her parents into the room, Kyle’s cheeks already swollen with tears, his Aura radiating a deep fear to allow hope into his heart again. Nova hopped off, allowing her to get up and open her arms, no words needed as she nodded.

He moved forward, body shaking as Rhea welcomed him in, letting the man express bottled-up pain that had tortured him for years. Doctors hovered at the corner of the room, holding their breath in anticipation as Sabrina returned with the graceful, old-fashioned, and classily-dressed Grass Specialist.

The woman smoothly sat in one of the free chairs, taking out a Master Ball and releasing a sparkly Roserade, radiating a wave of healing force. Everything got quiet as the presiding ‘Legend’ over the procedure broke away from Silver, gently pulling Kyle off to the side to join Rhea’s parents.

Lyra took a deep breath and held out her hand for Rhea to take. “Ready?”

Rhea nodded, not feeling the stress she thought she’d be experiencing; inside, she was a tranquil brook. Sabrina floated above the bed and crossed her legs, a dense Psychic force surrounding her, the pink hue condensing around the comatose woman.

Erika’s Roserade closed his eyes and held out his arms for illuminated rose petals to cover Terri’s head, an intricate restorative power feeding through them in a focused stream.

Rhea’s fingers closed around Lyra’s, and abruptly, it felt like she was on the beach of a colossal ocean that stretched off into eternity, the brunette mother giving her an encouraging smile.

“Feed the force through me, and I will direct it, sweetie. Don’t be afraid.”

Lori shut off her headphones and stood up, rubbing her lower back with a bit of discomfort. Amira stood next to her father, arms crossed and watching intently. And, just to be safe, all of her Pokemon entered their Poke Balls, and her mother held Lulu in her arms.

With all eyes on her, she released the tap she kept sealed tightly shut and threw open the safety valves she’d created with Maria. Immediately, her vision washed into a sea of darkness, followed by a rush of intense heat, but she hadn’t passed out.

In more of a place between subconscious and conscious, she felt V stir within her Core, a surge of the Victory Pokemon’s warmth fueling her abilities to push them beyond any normal limits, and suddenly, a giant beam of power erupted out of her and into the invisible ocean she stood beside. Immediately, Lyra directed the current, funneling it into an intricate thread that wove into oblivion.

Rhea’s gut tightened when the darkness before her vision dispersed, unveiling a shadowing glass prison trapping the ginger-haired woman. Chains bound her to its sides, keeping her suspended and incapable of moving, a blindfold over her eyes and a gag in her mouth, keeping her locked inside an impenetrable shell.

A soft, feminine voice snatched her attention. “A Ghost’s curse… A strong one.”

She looked to her right, where V hovered, watching the thread Lyra crafted melt through the shadowy shell to weave into patterns. It dipped into the chains, gag, blindfold, and every other piece of the prison. She felt the negative pulses of the curse attempt to latch onto the intense wire drilling into it, trying to corrupt it, only to be repelled by V’s power.

Can we destroy it? Rhea asked, starting to feel the intense pressure closing in around her neck like a vice. I… can’t keep this up for long—V?

V smiled and floated over to tap her on the forehead, making her wince. “Of course, we can. Whenever we’re working together, we can’t lose. That’s my promise to you.”

Twirling a little, she held up a single, small claw before tapping the wire Lyra was crafting. The thread illuminated like the sun, blazing down the pattern Lyra made and evaporating the darkness in a blaze of glorious flames that wrapped around Terri in a comforting blanket, sinking into her spirit to amplify everyone’s efforts.

The Victini turned with a wink. “Eat, Rhea… A lot.”

Her internal vision popped like a needle touching a bubble, reality rushing back in a spray of colors as she stumbled back. Lyra choked, catching her before she fell.

“Ack! Well… that was a bit more punch than I expected! Hehe. I haven’t felt knocked off my feet like that since I bonded with… oh, you okay, Rhea?”

“Mhm…”

A lump lodged in her throat before she could continue, spotting Terri shiver, eyes cracking open as the Roserade cleared them away, making her squint.

“Where… Kyle?”

“Terri! Terri… you’re wake!” Kyle cried, lurching forward and unsure where to put his hands as the ginger chuckled, somehow finding the strength to push herself up a little. “You’re awake…”

“Why wouldn’t I be, stupid? Woah… why am I in the hospital… Mmm…” she trailed off, blue eyes going big and glossy as she looked at him. “I… was in a coma. I’m sorry, Kyle… I shouldn’t—”

“No! No, you have nothing to be sorry about… I’m just glad to have you back,” Kyle interrupted, pulling her into a hug as they both began to weep, bringing tears to Rhea’s eyes, and one of Amira’s unreleased songs filled her mind.

No one is flawless, but we’re all diamonds… I think this is where I have to accept it. I think I’m half-Pokemon, and that’s okay… I’m okay. This is what my powers should be used for… This is what I want to use them for.