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7:23 P.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).

 

The concert went on as Yancy took over; Rhea exited the stadium after getting a text from Amira about Lori and her.  Heading off, Sabin and Katelin wished her luck with Bianca and Hilbert as the pair joined them to hang out with her brother.

Leaving through the VIP’s private underground area, she was a little surprised to see certain personalities in the section.

Agatha and Professor Oak seemed to be on a date on the low, and, if she didn’t know better, a famous photographer, Todd Snap, was moving through the area, taking pictures with his incredibly expensive-looking camera.

She slowed a bit on her way out as she passed a green-haired High Master-tier Trainer who stopped to wave at her.  “Oh, it’s been a while, Rhea.  How’s your dad?”

“Aya?  Yeah… he’s doing okay.”

“Glad to hear.  I heard your brother was here,” she mumbled, glancing around the area.  “I need to see him about some stuff.”

Rhea pointed back toward the VIP area.  “Umm, yeah.  My cousin and brother are back there.”

“Thanks,” the Poison-Type Trainer grinned, long braid bouncing as she jogged toward the seats.  “I enjoyed your battle with Forrest and look forward to seeing the next—oh, and your performance was adorable, Nova!”

“Uh-huh…”

A little winded with her little Eevee, vision following the woman from Rhea’s arms, she recovered from the random encounter with Koga’s sister and continued out of the stadium.  The last thing she heard from the concert was an ad for a sponsor, McCauley’s Potions.

Yet, upon reaching the exit, she was halted by another unexpected person—a Rocket employee by the outfit—wearing dark sunglasses.

“Oh, you’re Little Boss’ teammate, right—uh… Rhea, right?”

Chuckling as she scratched her temple, Rhea’s stomach tightened at all the interruptions; plus, this guy was pretty stacked and tall.  “Umm, yeah… yeah, uh, I actually need to go meet her…”

He gave a start at her nervous laughter.  “Oh, so sorry!  So sorry!  Umm, I’m Attila.”

Mya gave an internal huff that said:  Didn’t ask, bud.

“Uh-huh…  Nice to meet you, but…”

“Yeah, sorry, I’m just trying to get in—I ran a bit late,” he muttered, eyeing the door she was a hair’s breadth from closing, and she noticed a rather strong scent in the air that told her there was probably a Muk nearby.  “I…”

Not having a good feeling from the man, Rhea’s left hand tightened around Nova as she let the handle go, acting as if it was a mistake.  “Oh, uh… wait, you wanted to go in?”

He forced a grin and rubbed the back of his neck.  “Eh… yeah, heh, my bad.”

“Umm.  No, it’s cool,” the blond man laughed it off.  “I got a friend that I can call; just thought I could get in without bothering her.”

Inching around him as Nova and her other Pokemon kept a close eye on him through her eyes, Rhea waved him off.  “See you later—oof, eh-heh, I mean…”

“Haha!  I don’t know about that, but have a good night,” Attila grinned.

Hurrying away, she took out her phone to text her brother while Alice mumbled to Mya and Nova how weird that was:

 

7:56 p.m. - Rhea: Yo, met this weirdo outside of the VIP exit named Attila or something.  Dude was wearing sunglasses at night, and I’m pretty sure there was a Muk nearby by the smell.  He wore a Rocket suit and talked about a friend letting him in.

7:56 p.m. - Rhea: Oh, and there wasn’t a guard outside or inside.  Just really gave me a weird vibe.  I don’t know; Nova, Alice, and Mya didn’t like it either.

 

Sending it, she shivered at how surprisingly sparse the area was considering the huge event, but it was an exit meant to attract fewer crowds for VIP guests.

It was brightly lit, and it would still be an hour or so until nightfall came, but everything seemed creepy at the moment.  She found herself wishing Franky was there to spook away her paranoia as he always did in the forest; the Gengar had always been there for her growing up, and now that she had a shiver in her spine, she wanted something familiar.

Mya jumped out of her pokeball to walk beside her, arms crossed as her large head swayed left and right, lips peeled back to show she was on edge; Nova stayed in her arms for emotional support, and it wasn’t just Rhea that felt like they were being watched by unseen eyes.

A sigh of relief came when her phone vibrated:

 

7:57 p.m. - Sabin:  Hmm.  Hilbert and I can look into it.  Cool if I send Luna to chill until you meet up with the girls?

7:57 p.m. - Rhea: Hehe.  I may be the paranoid little sister that’s never been alone in a big city before, but yeah, I’m just feeling a bit off after meeting that guy.  Thanks, Sabin.

7:57 p.m. - Sabin: No prob!  Big bro’s always gonna be there for ya.  Luna should be there shortly.

 

Keeping in the middle of the street as she texted, wanting to remain seen and in the open as the few people walked through the flowery park—she couldn’t be sure if one or two was just her imagination beyond hedges—Rhea wore a small smile.

If her brother said he’d be there for her, she had no doubt he’d go to the end of the world to make sure she was safe, and her Pokemon were happy to have the support.  Mya felt a little annoyed that she wasn’t strong enough to handle bigger threats and wanted to get stronger, which was resonated by her other Pokemon.

It’s okay, guys.  I know you’re always here for me, too.  We just got to realize our location is pretty open, as Amira would say, and some bad guys can make a move.  Know our limits, right?!  It doesn’t mean we stop training!

They agreed it was the right call, even if they wanted to be enough; Rhea stroked Nova’s fur as she remembered Atreyu’s last-minute arrival in the ice caves to save her, with her brother battling the Plasma Pidgeot and the teleporting Cloyster above.

Mya, Nova, and Alice were just as relieved as she had been when the Houndoom pounced on the assassin; this was less scary and more fun to look for suspects with the Ghost’s presence, but it brought back the idea that a huge social media presence, telegraphing their position, was probably a terrible strategy for the future.

Her Mawile tapped her knee as the Magical Pokemon floated out of the air, waving her big sleeves.

“Luna!”  Rhea cheered.

“Magi-mi-mi-gius-mis!”

The incantation-like speech brought a comforting wave to her heart as the Ghost floated around her in a slow dance before tilting its hat left and right to look into the shadows.  Nova and Mya asked her questions while the Mismagius scanned the area.

Not feeling too concerned after her appearance, Rhea held her Eevee with one hand as her other texted her brother, confirming that Luna had shown up.

 

8:02 p.m. - Rhea: Thanks for the support, Big Bro.  Luna’s here.  I may just be paranoid, but this city is so big.

8:03 p.m. - Sabin: Always!  Don’t ever hesitate to text me if you’re feeling a certain way.  As to your hunch… yeah, Attila doesn’t have the best reputation in Rocket’s history, so your passive aura sensing must have clued in that there was something off.  Don’t doubt it!  Love you!

8:03 p.m. - Rhea: Well, you guys would never let me rest with the whole feel your surroundings thing.  I just wish it would have been more helpful when the Plasma guy showed up.

 

She sighed, beginning her journey to the park location Amira had messaged them about; the redhead was spending at least thirty minutes with her mother, but it would take that time to reach the location by their hotel, and Lyra could teleport, giving them time together.

Luna’s narrowed eyes drifted left and right, vanishing every so often to float into the ground or peek around trees; a few people paused to stare at the Ghost, but everyone knew better than to get involved in a random Ghost-type Pokemon.

Only one of several incidents during the Hoopa Disaster—now over a century ago— caused a gateway to open to a place called the Spirit World, which demonstrated just how frightening Ghost Pokemon could be.

Hoopa’s legendary pride and greed caused him to be the domino effect that pushed the boundaries between worlds to fracture, leading the way for Rainbow Rocket to invade almost a century after it was sealed away.

Moving to the riverside walkway, Rhea eyed the gentle surf in the orange, falling sun,  the sea breeze pulling her bound, blonde hair to the left.

She wanted something to distract herself from the unsettling vibes she felt earlier, which probably was her senses telling her the man was bad news—not to mention way stronger than her—and, to accommodate that need, she told the story of the Hoopa Event to her Pokemon.

Luna listened in, seemingly interested in the tale; Rhea had heard it from her aunt when she was a kid, and the Champion would naturally have way more information on it than what was explained in school.

Rhea sat Nova down on their slow walk on the running path, staring at the river as they traveled to the speedway nearby; it was a pleasant night once she had Luna’s comforting presence, and she wasn’t sensing anything wrong around her after arriving.

Returning to the beginning, she had to preface the story by introducing them to a Legendary Trainer—technically the first real Champion of Alola, even if he refused the job.  Professor Kukui currently held the position, yet it was by default rather than as the true Champion.

Clearing her throat, she chuckled at Nova’s inquiry.  “Mhm!  The handsome professor we met when we started our journey, and you know who beat him?”

Mya and Nova shook their heads, but Luna’s hand shot up.

“Mi-mi-mi-magi!”

“Yup!”  Rhea returned, not actually knowing if she’d guessed it or not, but she had faith her brother had informed her about a lot in the human world.  “Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town.”

She pulled up her phone to show them a picture of the event, the Former Champion holding up his trophy before swapping to another picture of the next young Alolan superstars.

“Gossip says the next Champion will be one of these three, so you know!  Hau, Elio, and Selene—but these two have nicknames; Sun and Moon—said they’d compete to see who will beat Professor Kukui first by the end of the year.”

Searching for the right images, she presented the terror of the world—Hoopa Unbound—who had the strange pneumonic event where multiple pictures of him were taken throughout many ages at the exact same spot.

“In a place in Kalos—Dahara City—yup,” she added at Nova’s inquiry, “the same place Champion Diantha is from!  Anyway, in Dahara City, there was a landmark called Dahara Tower.  It’s gorgeous, but was made for a kind of… iffy reason.”

She puffed out a long sigh while looking at the water.  “Almost 118 years ago, Dahara City was only a small village, and they had a protector Pokemon called Hoopa.  The villagers wanted to test Hoopa’s powers and their own, so they challenged him to battles, which he enjoyed, but one day, he started stealing food.”

Mya swallowed at the word, glancing ahead at the station they were nearing.

“No one even looked to see why, but instead had some sage, or something, seal him away by using Arceus’ power.  Naturally, he was furious when he exited, only to find his home turned into a monument to his captor…

“To get back at him and show he was more powerful now… he summoned Legendaries and Mythical Pokemon from many other dimensions, forcing Arceus’ hand to intervene, and, with Ash’s help, things were set right, but the foreign Dialga and Palkia caused a lot of fissures before they were subdued…

“It looked like the end of the world from the videos,” she whispered, swiping through the various gifs and images to show Luna and her Pokemon.

“I’ve heard a lot of conflicting things about Arceus…  Not even my aunt knows all the details about the incident—Ash was pulled into the time fracture—and at certain points in time, the ripple effect from the event can still be seen at random, like a Ghost…”

Rhea giggled at Luna’s narrowed eyes.  “Excuse the pun!”

“Mi-mi-magi-mi…”  she grumbled, evidently getting a lot of Ghost jokes from Katelin or Sabin; it was probably the former due to the Mismagius’ rivalry with the cobalt-haired woman.

“Umm… so it shows up in Dahara City—even to this day—oh, yeah, and Ash did all of that 5 years ago—time-wise—which opened the way for a lot of Ultra Hole issues that somehow predate Hoopa’s release, but doesn’t…”

Seeing their confused looks, Rhea's head bobbed up and down.  “No, totally—I don’t get it either, but no one knew what caused all those Ultra Wormhole issues until then, and it was Ash that brought everything to light.  The ripples go as far back as 106 years ago, creating all sorts of weird time things.”

She walked up the ramp to take the bullet train, and, luckily, she was able to board shortly after making it to the gates; she went quiet after reaching a more crowded area, yet everyone kept their distance with the Mismagius beside her.

Rhea spent the rest of the trip listening carefully to the Ghost talk to her Eevee and Mawile as Alice relayed questions to the fluff ball to ask.

The discussion seemed to revolve around who was stronger, Ash, her aunt, or Red, since they’d heard so much about them.  She had to smile when Lyra’s name came up, too, making the Mismagius giggle.  Their big eyes moved to her after a while, looking for her input.

Folding her arms, Rhea hummed as she thought.  “Honestly, I don’t think anyone could beat my aunt, but she’s the one that tells me to remember that everyone loses.  Ash is certainly a hot topic, and apparently, the next World Tournament will feature everyone that’s won the previous titles…  Although, it will be different from normal.”

At the questioning looks, she grinned.  “Basically, you only get one Pokemon, and you battle in a team of three; it’s to test out a new Battle Style that some of the Leagues are looking at implementing for advancement.  Three vs. three, with only being allowed one ‘Sync Pair’ to compete to see how well you can adapt with your most trusted Pokemon.   So, won’t that be fun?”

They chirped, happy that there would be a ranking, and Rhea was excited to see her aunt potentially go all out; it would be a different format they could be introduced to, and they could swap out their pair between matches, but it was pretty interesting.

Exiting the train at their stop, which came sooner than she anticipated, and pulled up her phone as Amira texted Lori and her in a group chat.

 

8:35 p.m. - Amira: I’m waiting at the bridge.  I’m good for the rest of the night.

8:35 p.m. - Mallory: T_T Got lost.  I’m coming!  Sorry, you’re the one that always guides us through these big cities.

8:36 p.m. - Amira: GPS?

8:36 p.m. - Mallory: I know.  I, umm, kind of thought I’d just, you know, hehe, wing it…  Looks like I failed again.  Hubris?

 

Rhea giggled, but her grin soon turned to a frown as a thought occurred to her.

 

8:36 p.m. - Rhea: I’m late, too!  Had a creepy Rocket dude stop me outside of the VIP area.  Gave me the shivers.  Sunglasses, blonde dude that was built like a Machoke, and there was definitely a Muk around by the smell.

8:37 p.m. - Amira: Who?  Did you get a name?

8:37 p.m. - Mallory: Ewww!  Girl, you have the worst luck with meeting people.  First, you had that one overbearing chick from Alola that wanted to jump her cousin’s best friend, and now this?

 

Recalling her encounter with the blonde young woman in one of Apple City’s cafés, Rhea’s lips pulled in as she motioned for her Pokemon to follow her away from the platform; they were pulling looks, but she was happy Luna deterred people from approaching.

 

8:37 p.m. - Rhea: Hey!  Malia is pretty sweet, and she likes Kekipi because he kind of saved her.  It’s cute.

 

Her gut tightened after she pressed send, having totally forgotten there was somewhat of a rivalry between her teammate and the Alolan girl.  She quickly followed up her post:

 

8:37 p.m. - Rhea: I mean, Kekipi likes Amira.  He helped you practice today, right?  I just don’t think Malia is that bad of a girl.  She has a nice Alolan Ninetales and Vulpix, too!

8:38 p.m. - Mallory: Gurl, you can’t say anything bad about anyone!  Haha!  Muk her!  Team Amira 100%!  Yeeeet her outta here!

 

Rhea honestly didn’t know how to respond to that, causing her brain to lock up.  On the one hand, she totally understood the sentiment; she was rooting for Amira, but she also wanted Malia to be happy.  On the other hand, Amira spun Rhea’s head into a complete circle:

 

8:38 p.m. - Amira: Why do you think my dad got her a position in Apple City?

8:38 p.m. - Rhea: Huh?

8:38 p.m. - Rhea: I don’t follow?

8:38 p.m. - Mallory: Yooo!  I knew it!  He totally sensed it and yeeted her outta Kekipi’s journey by giving her an internship.  Sly!  Dad’s not all looks, huh?

8:39 p.m. - Amira: Uh… come again?  My dad has what?

8:39 p.m. - Mallory: Yo, facts are facts, girl!  I mean, your mom got her claws in him for a reason, huh?  Aye!

 

Rhea pulled her phone back, wondering if someone had hacked Lori’s phone or if her sister had stolen it; then again, it could totally be the purple-haired, dance-crazed, Unovan girl.

She glanced down at her confused Eevee, who returned it.  “Is Lori for real?”

“Maww?”  Mya asked, tilting her head.

“Eh-hehe.  I think we’re in weird territory…  Lori can be weird.”

 

8:40 p.m. - Rhea: Hold up!  Hold up!  What are you saying?

8:40 p.m. - Mallory: Did you see her mom and dad dance like a week back?  Kyaa!  Talk about cuties!  How could I not say her dad’s hot when he’s so chill and can cook—the man can cook!  Don’t they seem like the perfect pair?  Should we swap to Rhea’s brother and his Aqua girl GF?

8:40 p.m. - Rhea: Aqua?  Whaaaa!

8:41 p.m. - Mallory: You didn’t know?  Check it!  Doesn’t she look cute?

[Attachment]

8:41 p.m. - Mallory: Boys be hit by the Water Gun, if ya know what I’m sayin!?  Ah-hahaha!  Girl got more style than she knows what to do with!  Striped stockings, bandana, crop top with that midriff?!  You see those abs!  She be soakin’ them fires, huh?!  Haha!

 

Rhea ran her fingers through her hair as the image came through and swiftly blew it up; sure enough, there was a picture of Katelin, smiling and making a peace sign in a full Aqua uniform, complete with shorts, belt, and gloves.

 

8:42 p.m. - Mallory: Speechless?  Totally speechless!  She’s workin’ those abs!  I didn’t know she had muscles like that.  Those Eeevil leaders know how to design their outfits, am I right?!

8:42 p.m. - Rhea: No way…  Was she infiltrating the group?

8:42 p.m. - Mallory: Hmm?  Cosplay or a little somethin’ somethin’ that got out!  Ya know what I mean!

8:42 p.m. - Amira: Ahem…  Getting away from how ‘hot’ my parents are, or whatever these Katelin pictures are about…  How are you doing, Lori?

8:43 p.m. - Mallory: My bad!  My bad!  I’m just having a bit too much fun.  Umm.  I’m almost yhere.  See you in like 3?

8:43 p.m. - Mallory: There*  Muk.  How did auto-correct not get that?

8:43 p.m. - Rhea: Yup, I’m almost there, too.  I have Luna with me.  Sabin sent her to watch out for me.

8:43 p.m. - Mallory: Arceus, I need to find a man like that…  Why are all the good men taken?!

8:44 p.m. - Rhea: Wait, what about Kekoa?

8:44 p.m. - Mallory: …

 

Well, that doesn’t look good, she hissed, still looking at the Aqua image of Katelin she’d brushed off to the side and saved to her photos.  “Hmm…”

A small smile tilted her lips as she copied the image and wrote to Katelin.

 

8:44 p.m. - Rhea: Yo, Kate…  What’s this?  When did you join Aqua?

 

 The response was almost instant.

 

8:44 p.m. - Katelin: WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?!

8:44 p.m. - Katelin: Did Sabin send that to you?

8:44 p.m. - Katelin: Only I have that photo!  Noot evn your brother has it!

8:45 p.m. - Katelin: Lori…  I let her use my phone.  That Impidimp scrolled through and jacked some of my photos!

 

Rhea slowed as she made it to the bridge, putting on a strained smile as Luna hovered closer to snicker wickedly at the exchange.  Uh-uh, guys…  I think I messed up.

The Ghost gave her an innocent smile and wave as she floated away, seeing Amira leaning against the railing to stare out across the vast river, and, as always, it seemed fate was against her as she winced at her name being called.

“Yo, Rhea!  Seems we actually got here near the same—uh-oh…”

Rhea swiftly turned to the Unovan girl as she looked at her phone, preemptively apologizing.  “Sorry!”

“Huh…  Nice!”

“What?”

Thoroughly confused, Rhea jogged over to the grinning girl to look at her phone’s holographic image.

 

8:46 p.m. - Aqua Ablitious Kate: So… if you are going to steal some of my private photos (bad girl!) you should have stolen the full Hoenn album!  Enjoy!

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8:46 p.m. - Aqua Ablitious Kate: Cutie, huh?  Don’t I look so innocent and FIRE?!

 

Rhea’s jaw slacked in surprise as a few new photos showed up of Katelin posing in a Magma outfit next, complete with a horn hoodie and mini skirt, displaying her thighs and giving off a big-eyed look on the ground, looking helpless.

“Really…”

Lori giggled.  “I love Katelin!  She just gives off that Boss Girl energy.  Hehe.  She knows what she’s got and works it!  Nice.”

Falling into line with her as she held out her phone to tap them together, transferring the images without asking, Rhea sighed and handed it to Mya to look over.  Nova, Alice, and the Mawile were utterly baffled by human behavior.

“Why did you even steal Kate’s photos?”

Lori hummed thoughtfully as she waved at Amira, noticing their approach.  “I don’t know.  Sometimes I wake up and just swipe through pictures of people I look up to, you know, to give me a bit of motivation to get me out of bed.”

“Oh…  Huh.  Is it hard to get up for you?”

“Have you seen me?”  Lori snickered, gesturing at herself.  “I’m a bed sloth; give me the guilty pleasure of sleeping in, and I’m takin’ it!”

“Hehe.  Sorry, I asked.”

“No.  It’s coo’,” she nonchalantly shrugged.  “It’s no big deal.  Plus, it’s fun to puzzle out the story behind each interesting photo.  Hehe.  Kate surprised me a lot with her tastes.”

“Oh?”

Rhea’s intrigue would have to wait as they met up with Amira, waiting with her back against the rails; Holly was out, hanging around her neck.

“Hey.  So, you wanted to talk, Lori?”

Stomach tensing at the sudden cut to the chase of their meeting, Lori scratched the side of her head as she moved to fold her arms over the guard, watching the sun dip below the horizon.

“So… I lost, guys.  I let everyone down… pushed Miky into something he didn’t feel ready for.”

Rhea placed a hand on her back, but before she could say anything, Amira’s fingers closed over her hand.

“Let her finish.”

Lori chuckled, and she felt the girl’s tense muscles through her top.  “I’m not perfect.  I’ll be the first to admit that, and I downplay a lot of stuff to get by…  Personally, I think both of you are ahead of me in a lot of ways, and that’s pretty inspiring, to be honest.”

Flipping around, she pulled them against her breast.  “I’m a bit of a dunce sometimes, and I’ve got a foul mouth… I, heh, don’t think I can change that much, but I’ll do my best to keep up, girls.”

Her throat constricted, making Rhea do the same as emotion filled Lori’s voice.  “Let’s get a lot stronger.  Yeah?  Can you help me, so we don’t lose anymore?  I don’t wanna lose anymore and make my Pokemon cry.”

“Yeah!”  Rhea swallowed a cough.  “Yeah.  Let’s get really strong!  So strong we can even beat my aunt!”

“Haha.  Way to overachieve,” Amira mused, returning the embrace.

Lori squeezed them closer, pressing Rhea’s cheek—being much smaller than the tall Unovan girl—against her bust.  “Also… thanks for that song, Amira…  It was so beautiful, and I know it wasn’t for me, but… but it felt like it, so I had to say thank you.  Let’s all become beautiful heroines!”

Amira snorted.  “Well, we’re halfway there then.  Huh?”

“Right!”  Rhea laughed.  “We’re totally heroines already!”

Her teammates’ chests shook with hers as they spent the next several minutes swapping between emotional tears and jokes, with Amira being their anchor.

To finish out the night, they went to a nearby late-night store to get a small cake to celebrate their 2nd Gym; even if it wasn’t all positive, at least this cake was.  Heading back to the hotel, they prepared for bed, and Rhea learned she’d be the only one going on the archeology trip.

Lori gave her a small smirk when asking about Kekoa and just gave her a wink that Rhea didn’t know how to take.  It was a bit maddening that she was playing it closed lips.

Kekipi had plans to hang out with Amira all day, which Rhea was excited to hear about; what she was not, however, was meeting them and having to deal with the embarrassing night peck on the cheek she’d given Heneli.  She’d pretend that didn’t happen as long as she could unless forced on her.

Still, having the day with Bianca and the Kalos Champion would be nice, and by the text she got, Diantha would be alone this time; her son was going to hang out with his team.

She settled into bed after preparing for the night; Rhea let Nova and Mya have the night with her since Alice had the previous turn, ending the emotional day for a new adventure and a new start in the morning.

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