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10:00 - 10:45: A.M. July 4, Saturday, 106 PH (Post Hoopa Event)

Events:  The Joint Kanto and Johto Indigo Summer League have concluded; Saria Surge has become the new Vermilion Gym Leader, converting it to a Fairy Gym.  It will be open for challenges on the 10th.

Our girl started her journey on the 9th of June—she’s been a Trainer for 25 Days (24 officially; 25 since getting Maya and Nova).

 

Stomach twisting as she moved through the crowded stadium crowd with Nova in her arms, she scanned for the rows her brother texted her; Alice and Mya would come out to watch when she sat down.

The seating was hard to get, which meant Bianca and Hilbert had to use the VIP box with her husband’s Former Champion status; the two wanted to have their sappy lovey-dovey time together, and Rhea didn’t want to intrude.

Rhea loved having her family so close by—if only her parents were here, too—she wasn’t sure if her aunt would make an appearance; according to Sabin, she was dealing with something regarding a Celebi that showed up.

Rhea walked up the stairs while scanning for the right letter.  Right… a Celebi just randomly shows up—just another average Saturday—typical Aunt Cynthia…  What?

She glanced down at her salt-and-pepper Eevee as she chirped, pointing a little up and to their left; a grin came on as Sabin and Katelin came into focus, leaning close to each other whispering.

Nice!

Heading over to them as forced chuckles came from around the stadium, she paused when the announcer roared overhead.

“Drass, Peter’s Caterpie, goes down to Estro, Gym Leader Misty’s Luvdisc!”

Hurrying to her brother as the ginger-haired woman spoke to the boy in private, no doubt giving him advice, Rhea got to her seat.

“Rhea!”  Kate cheered, being the first to catch sight of her.  “You got here just in time; Amira’s about to have her turn.”

“Wooh!  Hehe.  I thought I was going to miss it!  Hey, Kate, Sabin; what’s up?”

Her brother got up to hug her, and Rhea couldn’t help but feel her worries melt in his familiar, strong embrace.  “We’re good!  Heh, look at you, dressed up in your new Trainer gear.”

“Doesn’t she look stunn—oh?!”  Kate interjected but was a little surprised as Rhea went from Sabin to lean down and hug her.  “What… did I do to deserve that?  Hehe.”

She caught her brother’s half-smile.  “Hold up, Sis!  You’re not supposed to like Kate!”

“Humph.  Well… she’s grown on me,” Rhea returned, pulling back to flash her teeth.  “Sorry I’ve been a bit of a Stunky over the years.”

“You—a Stunky?  Never!  Hehe.  Well, I’m not the one that said it—but I totally understand, girl—I kind of stole your only brother away,” Katelin’s cheeks brightened while teasingly sticking out her tongue.  “Totally not sorry, by the way!”

“Hah!  Well, yeah—I’m just glad you didn’t turn out to be a complete Muk,” Rhea mused, sitting on the opposite side of Sabin.  “So, umm, what do you guys have planned?”

They both shrugged, her brother settling in while looking at the colossal pool stadium below.  “We’re taking the beginning of this season slow since we’re mostly ready for the League.”

Kate’s blue ponytail bobbed as she leaned forward.  “Oh!  You saw my battle against Janine?”

Rhea’s smile strained.  “Uh, yeah…”

The woman’s expression fell.  “You’re so bad at lying.  Well, I won!”

She reached over to take the Platinum Encrusted Badge, eyes widening while studying the framed pink heart.  “Ooh!  The Soul Badge really is nice looking.”

“Right!  I got the Platinum Encrusted Cascade, Volcano, and Soul Badges now.”

“Know what’s gonna be your—”

“Shh.”  Her brother held up a finger to the screen; Amira walked out with her sunglasses on.  She didn’t look nervous in the least; a complete natural.  “Looks like things are about to begin, and Lori’s later on in the schedule—see?”

Rhea’s stomach squirmed again as she nodded, seeing the number of contestants left for the Gym Leader to take; they were ten-minute timed matches.  C’mon, Amira, you can do it!

Alice and Mya cried to watch, and Nova, ever the humble one, offered to allow them to be out to have the experience as she watched through Rhea’s eyes; it was a different experience to being out and able to focus on what you wanted.

Kate made a low hum of excitement with many of the crowd, and only just now did she see the vast wave of red and black bodies when their shouts eclipsed the rest of the onlookers, making Rhea laugh.

A sea of signs rooting for Viridian’s Fire Stone filled the sky with the Former Champion’s Pokemon floating in the air with Lyra.  Rhea smiled as the enthusiastic woman started a chant about flawed diamonds, which drew her mind back to Gym Leader Saria’s High Master battle with her Carbink.

“Serenity, huh?”  Sabin grinned, question trailing off as Katelin gasped.

“No way!  Bronze 5—for her second Gym Battle—and against a Lotad?  Yo, that’s not even funny…  Rain Dance?!”

Rhea’s abdomen tightened with fear as she saw Amira’s fingers ball into tight fists while studying the dark clouds forming over the massive stadium.  “She can win, though—right, Sabin?”

“Wooooew, uh, ye-mmm…  I’m not gonna lie, Sis; it’s gonna be rough… if she doesn’t play this perfectly…”

“Yeeeah…”  Katelin hissed, watching the little Feebas throw sparkling liquid into the air, using Splash to further enhance her entrance.  “This is going to be insane; I know Amira’s a smart cookie, but the fact Misty gave her this challenge… says a lot—a whole lot.”

“It’s about to begin—Muk, those movements are actually… really good,” Sabin whistled as Serenity flipped around the red beams shot her way.  “Actually impressed.”

Muscles tensing, Rhea scooted to the edge of her seat, smoothing out her dress; her thighs nervously pressed together in the evolving, high-speed battle.

Alice roared with vigor, hopping around on her armrest as she shouted about how slippery the Feebas was in their games.

Mya had gained a new appreciation for this kind of battle and how aggressive Serenity was being, slamming into the Lotad without even using her energy to shove him off-balance.

On the other hand, Nova had her paws wrapped around her spirit, hugging it tightly with the anxiety filling her breast that resonated between them, crying out whenever the Feebas took a hit; she wiggled back and forth with her tail inside her pokeball, causing Rhea to feel as if someone was behind her, shaking her at each intense moment.

“Nice!”  Katelin whispered, glued to the screen as Serenity threw him out of the rain storm.  “Brilliant; she’s trying to conserve their energy while forcing him to waste his own on keeping up the weather.”

“Mmh.  I’d say it’s her only chance at victory,” Sabin returned, somehow remaining in a lax position, resting his head on the back of his hands as he followed the exchange below.  “Serenity’s definitely Melina’s daughter with reaction time and aerial Levitate maneuvers like that—it’s in her genes to feel comfortable in the air and sea.”

“Wait, what?!  She’s actually, Melina’s daughter—your aunt’s Main Team Melotic, Elegant Queen of the Sea—Melina?!”

Rhea snickered.  “Yup!  She’s got the attitude, too.”

“Nice—yeah, okay… Bronze 5 Rain Dance—seems legit; let’s Mukin’ go!”  Katelin laughed.  “Yo, this has to be it, Sabin—yup!”

“Confuse Ray to Mirror Coat—okay,” Sabin muttered.  “Disorient him to not break his Move short… oof!  Bad luck.”

“What?!”  Rhea choked, unconsciously rising to her feet and making the people behind her groan.  “What, Sabin?!  She hit!”

The rainbow sphere collected in Serenity’s mouth to strike the stumbling Lotad, creating a fountain of colors in the explosive spray of water that followed the detonation.

“Yup.  Bad luck,” Kate moaned.  “The Confusion diminished her potential one-shot, but…”

Sabin puffed out a long stream of air.  “Ugh… yeah, looks like Amira’s gonna feel it after this next attack.”

Just as confused as the Lotad seemed to be, Rhea hastily sat back down after hearing the mutters of the men behind her, watching Serenity flip around in the pool to launch a draconic blast at the Lily Pad Pokemon, shattering its defensive matrix.

“Woooh!”

She shot back into the air, dress bouncing with her cheerful jumps, everyone else in the stadium doing the same, and she caught Alice as she jumped into her arms, waving her small arms and ears.

“They did it!  Amira won!”

Squealing with the rest of her party, she soon quieted down as Misty brought everyone back to the pair, allowing Amira the chance to explain the match.  Rhea stood in awe at how controlled and poised the redhead was as she went over how hopeless it looked to her before finding her only route to victory.

Wow…  Amira’s so good; she’s also so hard on herself, though.

“Hmm…”

“What’s up?”  Kate asked, giving her an annoyingly knowing smile.

“Haaa…  I need to get stronger.  Amira’s always so consistent; she knows what her win conditions are and works with her team to get there.”

Sabin nudged her side with a chuckle.  “Sis, you’ve got talent in other ways, but you’re not wrong.  Hehe.  You’d do well to learn some things from Amira.”

Katelin nodded.  “Mhm!  She’s got a fire in her that I love when watching her—even if it looks like she’s super chill, I can tell she’s burning to prove herself.”

“Mhm.”  Rhea played with her long ponytail as she watched her teammate leave in victory.  “She’s really something else… and she’s going to sing with Yancy later today.”

“Speaking of,” Kate snickered, shooting an inquisitive look her way.  “Have you heard about the gossip surrounding Yancy over the last few days?”

“No?”  Settling down a bit as she saw Lori enter the stadium to cheers, Rhea’s turbulent stomach returned; she wasn’t sure about having Miky fight and wondered how her brother would see it.  “A, umm—a lot of things happened in the last few days, so I haven’t been able to check what’s trending on the app.”

“Pictures surfaced with what appears to be Yancy at an amusement park—hehe, trying to keep a low profile and looking cute—with guess who… Nate!”

Rhea blinked; she was a bit thrown off by the sudden change in topic, but it was a bit attention-grabbing.  “The upstart making waves in Unova—the one that’s friends with Hugh and Rosa?”

“Mhm!  And check this—apparently, there’s some talk about Rosa and Curtis being seen together at the same location!  Pretty suspicious, hmm?  All of them were dressed pretty nice, too…  Double date?  Hehe.”

“It does seem pretty suspicious,” she mumbled, having the handsome idol’s face pop into her mind; it would certainly be a hot topic if the two superstar idols were seeing the newest upcoming Unova Elite 4 challengers.

Her brother gave them incredulous looks.  “What’s up with you two and gossip?”

“It’s just interesting,” Kate mused.  “It makes you spin little stories in your head that, heh, can be a bit steamy!”

“Y-You don’t have to say it like that,” Rhea whispered, feeling blood rush to her cheeks.  “Umm, Lori’s going to start.”

“Yeah!  You go, girl!”  Kate shouted.

Rhea couldn’t see her family in the crowd, but that wasn’t surprising; it was packed, yet her heart stopped when her teammate actually revealed her Pokemon.

“Mmgm…”

Kate and her brother’s faces creased as they watched the little imp hop around the platform with the accompanying difficulty.

“Miky?”  Sabin mumbled in surprise.  “She’s not going with Gables?”

“That’s what I was thinking,” Kate hissed, watching the laughing Impidimp point at the Slowpoke it faced.  “Did you guys practice water battles the other day?”

Knowing she meant their visit to the underwater city, Rhea’s lips puckered as she shook her head; Lori certainly did her share of battling in the water, but not her Pokemon.

“Mmh…  Bronze 2 is about right for a strong Pokemon in their second Encrusted battle,” her brother slowly said, examining his movements, “but if they haven’t practiced fighting on a water stage…  It’s a whole different type of battle.”

Kate ran her fingers through her hanging blue locks, indicating she was nervous from what Rhea had seen of her tells while growing up.  “I think Roxie would have even been a better pick, considering she’s battled in a lake before, but Gables was the obvious choice, given his experience…  I don’t know—is she trying to throw Misty off?”

Rhea hissed as Miky stopped at the platform’s edge, waving his hands in a tiff at the Slowpoke’s lazy escape.  “I… don’t know either.  She promised Miky he’d get to have the next Gym before Roxie hatched.  Do you think she can win?”

Her brother sat back and crossed his legs; the energy this match elicited was entirely different than Amira’s.  “Misty chose a rather strong Slowpoke for the battle to even their Stat distribution, and a Pokemon that’s clearly a slow starter…  Yeah, this is a time cruncher; who can deal the most damage before the ten minutes is up.”

“That’s my take, too,” Kate sighed.  “Miky’s not doing well off the go, and it’s shaking up to be a clown show…  Misty has to indulge the public somehow since this is also entertainment as much as a teaching tool.  Rough.”

Lips pulling in, Rhea turned her attention back to the screen, and by the look on Lori’s face, she could tell that her friend knew pushing Miky to do this battle had been a mistake.  Minute after minute, Miky struggled to even reach the lazy Slowpoke’s casual movements through the pool, and he did get a good Bite in, but it wouldn’t be enough to outscore the Water Guns his opponent got off.

It was entertaining to the crowd, but to Rhea, it was an agonizing ten minutes of failed surprise attacks from the panicking Impidimp, and her teammate’s face showed it all—she was blaming herself already.

When the final seconds ran down, her brother’s prediction came true, and the victory went to Misty; their team scored their second Gym loss.

Unlike Amira’s public explanation of her strategy, the ginger woman and violet-haired girl had a private conversation that ended with the public announcement that she expected to see Lori in the next few months again.

Getting to her feet, she returned a crestfallen Mya and Alice to get to the dressing rooms; her Mawile was reliving her own defeat at the hands of Forrest, yet this had been far more of a devastatingly obvious loss than theirs.

Unfortunately, a lot of people were getting up for the short break to go to the restroom or get snacks, blocking her exit.

We gotta go be there for her…  C’mon!  Move!

Sabin and Katelin were behind her when she got a buzz from her phone, making her pause just before getting onto the stairs.

“What’s up?”  her brother questioned, following her gaze to the holographic projection.  “Ah…”

 

11:06 a.m. - Amira Rocket:  I just talked with Lori.  She said we should go on ahead.  She’s going to chill with her family today, and she’s sorry she lost… not that either of us cares, don’t worry, I let her know that we have her back.

 

Rhea internally cursed, stepping off to the side to allow others to walk around them as her brother and Kate joined her.  What should I do?  I can’t force myself into her family time, but I want to be there for her.  Nova, what do you think?

Her Eevee roared to intrude, with both Alice and Mya wholeheartedly agreeing, which made Rhea sigh.  I can’t, guys… because it’s complicated.  You know how Amira made me angry—it’s like that…  Because it is, Alice, I know it’s hard to understand.  Lori wants to be alone with her family for support, and it would be selfish to try and insert ourselves.  So…

She swiftly replied, looking for more answers:

 

11:06 a.m. - Rhea:  How did she look?

11:07 a.m. - Amira Rocket:  Honestly, not great.  She’d been crying.  Red eyes, puffy.  But you know her… she was smiling as if it meant nothing.  I asked if she wanted us to join her, but she deflected, saying I had to practice singing with Kekipi and you had your brother.  Excuses, I know, but I told her the loss wasn’t the end of the world and we had her back whenever she was good to talk, or not, whatever was better for her.

 

Rhea hissed out a long stream of frustrated air.  Why are both my teammates so terrible at expressing emotions!  They both hide it all the time!  Grrarh!!!

Nova, Alice, and Mya seemed to think she’d transformed into a Flareon as she angrily texted back a message that only further confused them:

 

11:08 a.m. - Rhea:  Alright.  If that’s what she wants.  What are you going to do?

11:08 a.m. - Amira Rocket:  My family wants to take me out for lunch with Kekipi.  I’m sure they’ll… yup, just got a message saying it’s fine if we need to postpone or cancel to be there for Lori.  Let me think for a second…

11:09 a.m. - Amira Rocket:  I think it would probably make Lori feel worse if we focused on her loss.  What do you think about sending her a message about what we’re going to be doing, and that we’ll all redouble our training?  We’re here open if she wants to call or chat, but spend as much time with her family as she needs.  Thoughts?

11:09 a.m. - Rhea:  I was thinking the same thing.  Her mom and dad will probably have some good advice for her… maybe?  My mom’s advice is always questionable, but my dad’s is always solid.

11:09 a.m. - Rhea:  I’ll be hanging out with my brother and Kate.  We’ll totally be there for your concert!

11:09 a.m. - Rhea:  Oh!  Do you want help practicing or time with Kekipi?

11:10 a.m. - Amira Rocket:  Lol.  I’m fine.  Have a good time with your brother.

11:10 a.m. - Rhea:  Okay.  Congratulations on winning!  We’ll celebrate later tonight; I’ll buy a small cake for us.

11:10 a.m. - Amira Rocket:  Ooh!  It must be a celebration for you to eat something!  ;)

 

Rhea giggled, hearing her brother force a laugh at her earlier comment about their mother.

 

11:11 a.m. - Rhea:  I said small!  I’ll only be having a tiny piece of Lori and yours.  Can’t wait to hear the song you wrote!

11:11 a.m. - Amira Rocket:  Haha.  Now you’re making me nervous!  Don’t be too harsh on me; I’m sure the critics will be all over it.

11:11 a.m. - Rhea:  I’m gonna get Lori to spread it everywhere!  Bua-ha-ha-ha!

11:11 a.m. - Amira Rocket:  You see, Rhea… I don’t know if you’re joking or not, and now I am a little scared.  Haha.  ← nervous laughter

11:11 a.m. - Rhea:  Come on!  You know I wouldn’t do that… Lori might, though.  Lol.  We should probably take her phone like Cass’ team!

11:11 a.m. - Amira Rocket:  You may be onto something…  Anyway, jokes aside, we’ll meet up later to have our own little celebration.  We’re far from out of the game.  Have fun!

11:11 a.m. - Rhea:  You, too!  And don’t make out the whole time and not practice!

 

Rhea's face blushed at the response she’d typed and almost didn’t send it but their fight the other night pushed her finger.

 

11:12 a.m. - Amira Rocket:  Ha. Ha. Ha.  I have about as much experience in that department as you, I’m afraid.  Later.

11:12 a.m. - Rhea:  HF TTYL

 

“Ouch,” Sabin chuckled, reading her messages as she prepared one for Lori.  “Mom’s not that bad with advice.”

She gave him a pointed, backward look.  “Mhmm…  What advice has she given you that was good.  Huh?”

He pointed back at his smirking girlfriend.  “Mom told me not to overthink things—girls are people—and just ask her out.  I wouldn’t have had the courage otherwise…”

“Mmh?”  Katelin mused, leaning forward on her higher step to put her chin on Sabin’s shoulder to tickle his ears a little.  “Shy lil’ 14-year-old Sabin, coming up to lil’ ol’ 13-year-old me—you were so cute—and now you’re also a total tease.  What happened to my awkward boyfriend who would blush at giving me flowers he’d picked?”

“I grew up and realized what kind of girl you are,” he returned, nudging her with his head a little, and Rhea realized something that made her fingers pause.

Why is there a cut on Sabin’s ear that… looks like a bite mark—and he’s wearing a scarf in this weather…

Face flaming, Rhea turned her frantic eyes back onto her screen before she could discover any other injury as Mya asked what Pokemon bit her brother.

I… don’t think it was a Pokemon…

Trying to ignore the bewildered conversation between her partners about why humans would bite one another and what a battle like that looked like, Rhea didn’t know if her interpretation of their discussion was pure fantasy or not, but it quickened her blood all the same.

 

11:15 a.m. - Rhea: Hey, Lori.  I heard from Amira that you’re going to be spending time with your family.  I totally get how bad it sucks losing…  I lost to Forrest, and you were there for me.  Remember, Mya freaked out and ran away!  Thanks for being there for me when I was low, and we’re a team.  You, Amira, and I.  We both want to be there for you like you were there for us when we needed it.  Love you, and have a good time with your family!

 

She sent it before anxiety struck her at the mistakes and thoughtless comments, thoughts of her brother and Katelin rolling through her mind.

 

11:15 a.m. - Rhea: Not love as in love love

11:15 a.m. - Rhea: Sorry!

11:16 a.m. - Rhea: As in, we’re teammates and stuff.  Amira and I want to be there for you.

11:16 a.m. - Rhea: Hope things work out!

11:16 a.m. - Rhea: Are you guys going dancing?

11:16 a.m. - Rhea: No.  Of course you’re not.  That’s stupid.

11:16 a.m. - Rhea: Sorry.

 

Stupid!  Stupid!  Why am I still texting?!

 

11:17 a.m. - Lori: Pfffffft!!!!!

11:17 a.m. - Lori: Had to read that chain again.

11:17 a.m. - Lori: Hahaha!  Oh, man!

11:18 a.m. - Lori: You’re a gem, Rhea!  I love you too!  Have a good rest of the day.  And I’m good.  A bit bummed?  Sure.  I’m sure my parents will have things to say, and my sister’s helping me laugh it off.  Don’t worry about me.

11:18 a.m. - Rhea: Of course I’d worry.  We’re teammates.  We’ll celebrate your second Gym battle tonight!  We’re making progress!  All of us.  We’ll make it.

11:19 a.m. - Lori: Mhm.  Len’s gonna hang with me too.  See you at the concert?

11:19 a.m. - Rhea: Count on it!

 

Letting it go, Rhea puffed out a long stream of air.  It was the best she was going to get from it, and she figured her family and best friend would know how to break down her walls better than her—some random girl that had only known her for less than a month.

She looked up at Katelin’s concerned frown.  “She okay?”

“Probably not… but she’s going to hang with her family; Amira and I will get her a cake tonight… unless everything’s sold out,” she mumbled, looking at the packed stadium as the next challenger faced Misty.  “Umm…  What do you guys want to do?”

Sabin’s lips pulled to the side as he crossed his arms.  “Why… don’t we grab a bite to go, and we fly you out of the city to do some personal training; Kate and I got some Silver-tier Pokemon that could use some practice.”

“Oh!  I like that idea, Sabin,” the peppy woman grinned.  “What Gym do you plan to take next?”

Pondering her options after talking with Amira about their future battles, Rhea’s brow set.  “I want to be one of the first to win against Gym Leader Saria!  Heh, umm, mainly because I really want to see what she’ll do to the Vermilion Gym.”

“Fairy, huh?”  Kate giggled.  “Setting the expectations high, but I’m totally with you; in fact, maybe I’ll choose to battle the same day as you!  I’ll get the first Encrusted Platinum Fairy… heh, whatever she’ll call it Badge!  You’ll get the first Bronze Encrusted?”

“Yeah!”

“I like it, Sis!”  Sabin laughed, motioning for her to follow him down the stairs.  “Fairy, huh?  Give me a second to think about it…  Who will you probably use?”

All of her Pokemon roared for their turn, but given everything Amira talked about, there was only one person that wouldn’t have much Gym experience in this cup that the change in selection could help.  “I know Mya might be the best choice, but I want to prepare Alice for it since Mya will be perfect against Janine.”

Her Pokemon mumbled amongst themselves about the decision, but Nova and Mya agreed that letting Alice have a shot would only be fair since the Mawile would likely get Janine and Forrest.

Pumped for the training session, Alice exited her Pokeball to jump into Rhea’s arms, shaking with excitement, and, before long, she had to move the bunny to her shoulders to let her jump from side to side, practicing her hop kicks and balance.

We need to practice if we’re gonna get on Amira’s level, but we can do it!

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