Amira’s full lips lifted a bit. “It’s not looking good for the Kalos boys.”
“How was Jean, Korrina’s nephew? I don’t think he’s as bad as the other two.”
Mallory shrugged. “Didn’t pay any attention to him.”
“From what I could see, he’s keeping a low profile,” Amira added, glaring across the street at a guy with his phone pointed their way. “Were you followed around in Sinnoh, Lori?”
Lori hummed thoughtfully, leaning forward to catch sight of the guy. “Uh… kind of, but not like this. Hmm… wanna ditch them?”
“How?” Amira asked, brushing her waterfall braids back while turning to stare at her.
“Okay,” her voice lowered, “we could go with a few dirty methods to get the stalkers to back off, but we can also do the distraction play. Pretty easy now that we have Pokémon,” she mused, releasing her Froakie. “Don’t worry about a thing; they’ll leave on their own,” Lori winked. “Just leave it all to Gables.”
“Hmm?” Rhea lost track of the shiny water Pokémon as it seemed to blend into its environment. “Where’d he go?”
“Camouflage,” Mallory snickered. “Like I said, don’t worry about it!”
As they went on, the men and women tailing them slowly disappeared.
Amira lifted an eyebrow. “Impressive… there’s only two left that I can see.”
“Where?” Lori asked, sounding excited to meet her next opponents in the silent war happening among the bustle of tourists.
“See the man and woman… three groups behind us…”
“Got it! Hmm… we’re getting close to the spa, though.”
A short gasp caused everyone to slow, turning to see the man and woman grimacing down at a splatter of what appeared mud; the woman had a long streak on her back while the guy showed a big brown spot all over his butt.
Lori snickered beside them, but her expression was sympathetic. “Oof, guess they couldn’t hold it, huh?”
“Lori!” Amira gasped, full lips trying not to grin. “Did you…”
She motioned them to pick up their pace as the crowd hovered around the pair, seemingly wanting to help or not knowing what to do about the embarrassed partners.
“Camouflage plus Mud Sport; no real damage… well, maybe a bit of psychological damage,” she giggled.
Gables appeared beside them, sticking to the side of a building with a V-sign on his three fingers while blowing a small bubble as if saying, Got ‘em!
“Nice!” Lori grinned, holding up her hand; Gables jumped off, slapping it before returning to his pokéball.
“Although, you know that’s illegal,” Amira mumbled with a low hum. “Attacking a person with your Pokémon…”
“Only if ya get caught!” Lori grinned. “So, let’s get outta here.”
“Mhm…” Amira returned, but she seemed a bit happy to be rid of the spying eyes.
They quickly made it to the spa, meeting Sam, Hannah, and Jade out front; all of them had their hair done in simple ponytails.
Hannah was the most dressed of the three, sporting a close-fitting red and black Trainer-style plaid summer dress that fell to her lower thighs, last spring’s Trainer-style Cerulean 5 blue and white hiking sandals, a matching Cerulean 5 watch, and a charm bracelet for her left wrist.
Jade’s blue hair was pulled through a plain cap that matched her locks, and she wore a black tank-top with simple brown shorts. She had the Vermilion 3 Kicks from a few years ago, rocking a yellow and green design with a lightning bolt across them, and a simple beaded anklet with some shells.
Sam was the picture of practicality, a gray t-shirt with Adventure written in black letters across the front, blue, fashionably ripped denim shorts, and brown hiking boots.
The three girls were a lot more reserved once they caught sight of Rhea’s party, Mallory in the lead, and Rhea was the first to link parties.
“Hey, guys!”
Amira and Lori followed her gaze.
“Oh, are they the girls you were talkin’ about?” Lori asked with a bright smile.
“Yup!” She pushed herself to skip forward to introduce them, hiding how sore she felt, and the girls gave a weak hello in response. Amira seemed somewhat bored by the whole exchange, folding her arms under her chest while glancing off to the side. “This is Sam, Jade, and Hannah. I’ll handle their price, Lori.”
“You sure?” Mallory asked. “I’m cool with payin’ the bill. You can grab our dinner at Viridian; I want to try out one of those fancy places over there! Hehe…”
She trailed-off as Amira cleared her throat. “Ahem, actually… my grandparents wanted us to come by for dinner. It’s cool if you want to go somewhere else, though.”
The firey-haired girl said it in such a nonchalant way that Rhea didn’t know if she wanted them to go or not. “Umm… yeah, yeah,” she replied, glancing at Lori, “that’d be nice.”
“Dinner with the Rockets?” Mallory mused. “…Sure, sounds interesting,” she grinned. “We should be able to try one of those restaurants before we leave, though!”
“They’re not all that,” Amira grunted with a weak shrug. “So… we gonna go in?”
Mallory’s eyes lit up. “Oh, you’re right, Amira! We don’t want to give the paparazzi time to catch up!”
“Or the police…” Amira mumbled.
“Paparazzi?” Sam and Hannah asked, Jade focusing on the latter part.
“Police are chasing you?”
“Oh, no, no,” Rhea waved her hand, ushering them inside with a quiet laugh. “We just have some nosey press looking for a story on our tail.”
Guiding them inside, she pushed open the glass door, walking into the brick and wood themed front entrance. A second glass wall was inside with a greeter, leading to the front lounge with soft couches and hundreds of candles that the employees had to maintain and replace each day.
“Welcome to PikaSpring,” the young man greeted, giving them a warm smile while opening the door. “I hope you enjoy your stay.”
The girls gave quiet thank-yous before entering; there were a few residents already inside, but it seemed relatively empty for the size of the place.
I guess it is a pretty expensive spa.
Lori swiftly took the lead, pausing their advance for a moment to ask their Pokémon number. Confirming it, they stopped at the front desk, where a woman waited.
“Welcome. My name is Kora. What can I do for you?”
“What’s the best package?” Lori asked without hesitation.
“Would that be a Year Pass, month, week, or just for the day?”
“Just today!” She chimed.
Sam, Jade, and Hannah hovered around Rhea to Lori’s right as Amira stood off to the left, glancing around the interior with a disinterested fashion.
“The Day Deluxe Pass would cost 600 credits, plus 50 per Pokémon; a list of barred Pokémon are in this packet,” she smoothly replied, sliding over an expensive-looking booklet.
Rhea’s three friends winced at the price, Hannah whispering, “Sorry…”
“For?” Lori asked.
“N-Nevermind…” She mumbled, and Rhea gave her an encouraging smile to let her know it was fine.
“Okay,” Mallory replied with a shrug, turning back to Kora. “Six girls, five Pokémon, Rhea’s two won’t be coming out this time,” she noted, drawing the woman’s gaze to her.
“Of course. That comes to 3,850, total; 3,600 credits for the six of you, and 250 for your Pokémon.”
Lori handed over her phone, already unlocked and on the payment app, ready to be charged. Kora accepted it, running it over the screen in front of her as Sam, Jade, and Hannah quietly thanked her in the background.
Handing the device back, Kora turned to Rhea. “I apologize, but if your Pokémon will not be going inside the spa with you, then we request to hold onto them for security reasons; some people try to sneak in barred Pokémon.”
Rhea was a bit hesitant but knew it was a common practice, and she’d know where her Pokémon were at all times due to their spiritual link. There were ways of weakening Trainers’ directional sense to their Pokémon, but those types of objects were heavily regulated, and businesses had gone bankrupt more than once after failing to properly secure a Trainer’s Pokémon.
Still feeling a bit uncomfortable, she asked, “What protocols do you have in place for security?”
Kora secured her brown locks behind her ear as a few fell out of place, smile not faltering. “In accordance with Pallet City Law, all businesses that require the handling of Pokémon must hire a Pallet City certified guard or League equivalent. We currently employ a Gold-tier Trainer that keeps an eye on the patrons Pokémon at all times throughout operating hours, and two more are in rotation as needed.”
“Okay, thanks for the information,” Rhea chuckled. “I’ve just… well, this is the first time I’d be so far away from them.”
“Completely understandable!” She assured.
Sorry, guys… I promise we’ll have a fun time in Viridian, Nova.
Nova seemed to be getting irritated with Mya again but held her peace as Rhea handed over her Pokémon. Mya sent a depressed sorry to Nova, the Eevee not responding, but both told her to relax and regain her strength.
Kora took the offered pokéballs, giving Rhea a bright smile. “I watched your match on break. Mya was amazing.”
“Thanks.”
Rhea let the conversation die, Nova growing even more frustrated at the praise Mya was getting for hurting her, and Kora’s comment prompted more guilt from the Mawile.
Guys… please get along. I know you didn’t mean to hurt me, Mya. We’re all learning. Me, too, Nova. You guys can enjoy a bit of it with me through the link, though. I hope…
Nova gave a chirp, wishing for her to feel better, and the simmering heat in her chest cooled as the Eevee regarded Mya. The two began talking again; Nova had all but refused to speak to the Mawile for a bit.
Kora handed Rhea a small tablet. “If you could list your name, Pokémon, and their nicknames with your contact information and a second contact.”
Rhea’s lips pulled in, reluctantly taking the device. “I can put just my first name, right?”
“This is just protocol when handling your Pokémon,” Kora responded. “When you initial at the bottom, you’re taking part in the city’s standard Pokémon Business Protection laws. You can read what those are on the city’s website if you are unaware, but by signing, you are choosing to participate in them, which includes some business protection acts for possible damages we receive from your Pokémon, among other things.”
“I understand,” Rhea replied, signing her initials, leaving out her last name, and using Professor Oak and his lab’s address as the second contact.
The other girls signed their own agreement before letting out their Pokémon for inspection. The spa hired a few Pokémon Type specialists in massage therapy and Pokémon relaxation, and Kora added each Pokémon to the database.
Hannah had a female Ledyba named Limru that her father got for her, Jade had a male Pidgey named Orin that her sister recently caught for her, and Sam caught her own male Pineco with the help of her parents, calling him Hector.
The three Pokémon gathered around Amira’s Fennekin and Lori’s Froakie, apparently enamored by the two shiny Pokémon. Amber was eating up the attention while Gables was more aloof, acting pretty laid back with the whole exchange.
When the woman returned from securing Mya and Nova, Amira asked, “Is the spring charged with elemental energy?”
Rhea hadn’t even considered it, but Fire-Types or any Type of Pokémon with a weakness to an element could be harmed if entering an area that was charged with the natural elemental energy they were vulnerable to.
Kora promptly shook her head, handing out specific keys to each of them. “We are not that type of spring, Ms. Rocket; warning labels are required if a business uses such elements, and Pallet is not near an energy-rich source to utilize. No harm will come to your Fennekin within the pools.”
Amira hadn’t offered her last name on any of the reports, meaning Kora knew who she was based on the news.
“I see,” Amira replied, turning away to study the architecture.
The woman nodded, turning to each of them while guiding the six back to the locker area, their Pokémon trailing behind. “We don’t allow any devices beyond this area; this is supposed to be a relaxing experience.
“The keys I gave you have a number on them; once they are secured, you may keep them with you, using the strap to wear around your wrist, or hand them back to me for safekeeping until you are ready to leave. There will always be an attendant close by if you have any questions, but we keep the patron count low to provide a more relaxing atmosphere; you’re lucky we had a few cancelations.”
“So, it’s pretty private?” Lori asked, giving Amira a wink. “No stressful reporters or journalists hounding you in here.”
“I’d hope not,” Kora replied with a soft chuckle. “If you have any issues, then please don’t hesitate to let us know.”
“I will,” Amira replied, eyes still scanning the polished brown wood themed design of the relaxing environment the spa boasted. “Reminds me a bit more of Johto than Kanto design.”
“Oh, you have a sharp eye,” Kora noted, following her gaze. “Yes, much of PikaSpring takes heavy inspiration from Ecruteak City in Johto.”
Mallory’s violet eyes lit up. “Oh, and your name from Yellow’s Pikachu, Pika, right?”
“Correct! Well, kind of,” she chuckled. “The builders of the spa sold it to the current owners quite some time ago, and Yellow was the first patron; at that time, PikaSpring was the lowest-ranked spa in Pallet, and she had Red’s Pikachu with her, so… there was a bit of a mix-up.”
“Interesting,” Lori mused, pointing at a picture on the wall. “That’s her, right?”
“Yes,” Kora replied, following her gaze. “Fifteen years ago.”
Rhea walked closer to the wooden framed photo, lips pulled to the side. “She doesn’t look too much older,” she giggled.
The others gave her a questioning look. “You’ve met Yellow?” Jade asked with wide eyes.
“Well, yeah,” Rhea shrugged, “Red and her stopped by… well, uh, yeah, I have.” She chuckled sheepishly.
“Wow…”
“Hmm?” Lori nudged her with a sly grin. “How much older? Yellow’s been in Alola for a while now.”
“Uh, I saw her about… a year ago,” Rhea admitted. “She looks about fifteen, to be honest, even though she’s thirty-seven.”
“Young Champions-tier Trainers. Am I right?” Mallory snickered. “She’s thirty-seven and looks younger than us. Just like your mom, huh, Amira?”
“Yeah…” She grunted with a small grimace.
The others seemed stunned at their casual talk about living legends.
“Umm, in any case,” Kora swallowed, clearing her throat. “I assume you have bathing suits?”
They all nodded, following her instructions while undressing and putting their items in their designated lockers, each handing her their keys for safekeeping except Amira, keeping it around her wrist.
Rhea stretched to either side with a low moan, trying to loosen up her tight and sore muscles, listening to their guide explain the process. Sam, Hannah, and Jade’s focus slid between her, Amira, and Mallory as they removed their clothes before studying each other with dissatisfied expressions.
The Pokémon were still getting to know each other, chirping lightly in their small group.
There was no natural light in the spa, making it like an oasis in the city. Kora explained the routine and left shortly after, leaving them to relax. Not a single person was inside the large space, most of the city’s occupants likely getting ready to travel to Viridian or backpack through the forest to catch any challenges.
Rhea entered the very warm large saltwater pool with the others, lying on their backs to soak while floating in the dim space. Their Pokémon joined them, and the faint sound of running water relaxed her mind, and even Jade’s Pidgey was laid out on his back, wings spread out as they floated. Amber’s flaming ears were currently cute tufts while lying across Amira’s thin and toned stomach while Gables swam under them, unaffected by the salt.
After a while, they each slowly moved to the Jacuzzi hot tub; the bubbles were a lot more aggressive than Janice’s private hot tub back in the village, helping to exfoliate their skin.
Some of the Pokémon refrained from the Jacuzzi, and some of the employees each came to collect their Pokémon for their personal treatment.
Rhea’s body was beginning to feel a lot better with the various treatment methods the pools provided, moving from the hot tub to the warm 102-degree pool after getting rid of all her dead skin, slowly moving down the temperatures to the 97 before steeling her nerves to enter the 50-degree waters to help circulate her blood.
She screamed softly while getting into the ice path, the other girls following. “Eek… it feels like 30 below, not fifty,” she giggled, body quivering as she sunk lower into the pool.
“W-Why are we doing this again?” Jade asked.
“T-The blood circulation,” Hannah responded through chattering teeth.
Amira didn’t seem bothered by the experience at all, not even shivering with Lori and the rest of them. “It’s not that bad. I take cold showers.”
“G-Good for you,” Mallory mumbled, hugging herself under the water. “I’m… not that kind of girl… hot showers… I like hot showers!”
They all giggled before talking about how relaxed and good their Pokémon were feeling, making Nova a bit salty again. Finally, they went to the wine path; non-alcoholic so it wouldn’t dry their skin, it was an immersion into the antioxidant world of unique red grapes that were imported in from Sinnoh’s harsh northern environment, soaking in the liquid for half an hour as employees brought them their dinner since it just passed 5 P.M.
The food was incredible, and surprisingly all meat-free by the taste.
Hannah seemed to be in heaven, finishing her meal while sinking to her neck in the large font of wine. “Amira, is this the kind of thing you do often?”
Amira rested her head against the padded edge of her seat, breathing slowly while settling in. “This place is okay, but my family… I guess you could say I do this kind of often,” she whispered.
“Must be nice…” Jade commented with a relishing sigh. “My skin’s never felt so soft…”
“I never thought I could feel so relaxed,” Sam mumbled, eyes closed as she breathed slowly. “I think they’re rubbing some kind of lotion on Hector… he’s in heaven.”
“What about Amber?” Rhea asked, letting her body stay limp in the red liquid.
Amira was silent for a time, and they listened to the wine’s gentle movements with their light motions below. “They’re brushing her out and using some kind of product on her ears she enjoys. This was a good idea, Lori… I needed this.”
“Hehe… yeah, it’s been a good bit since I’ve been to a spa,” Lori commented.
“I’ll show you guys our private one in Viridian when we go.”
“Sounds nice,” Rhea mumbled. “All of us?”
“Sure…”
“Aww, you’re spoiling us too much,” Sam whispered.
Jade grunted a bit while shifting her weight underwater. “Yeah… I feel kind of bad.”
“Aye, if your friends with Rhea, not like we can exclude ya,” Mallory chuckled. “You’re traveling with us, too, right? We’ll be leaving early tomorrow.”
“That’ll be nice,” Hannah cooed. “This is really nice… thanks, Rhea, Mallory, Amira.”
“Just call me Lori.”
The other two repeated Hannah’s thanks, and after spending some time in the herbal-infused steam room, moved on to the next stage.
Entering their own private rooms, a woman came into Rhea’s to start the PikaSpring’s custom facial with a holistic approach, combining Johto techniques with modern technology that went into the facial massage.
They cleansed her face two times; once to remove makeup and once to really clean the skin, using a product produced from a Vileplume’s leaf gland that helped balance the skin; it exfoliates, rehydrates, and prepared their skin to receive treatment before the massage.
The woman administering her treatment noted Rhea’s skin was so dehydrated, it literally drank up the renewing pack, so she had to add a little extra.
Between the products and modalities, Rhea’s face never felt better. One of the creams they used smelled like pie, making her mouth water for something sweet, and the treatment helped tone and lift before using a jelly mask to calm the skin, followed by a vitamin and enzyme cocktail for an intense glow. Ending in micro-currents and LED lightshow with oxygen.
The full body massage was magical, and Rhea had never had a manicure or pedicure, which left her hands and feet feeling renewed with life.
Once finished, they dressed and gathered their Pokémon, each expressing their satisfaction with the experience. Nova was moving from anger to depression, and Mya was right there with her.
Saying their goodbyes and picking a spot to meet outside of the city in the morning, Rhea followed Amira and Lori to the hotel space her father rented. It had three beds; most hotels had single, double, or triple models since Trainer teams were commonplace.
She didn’t get to see Amira’s routine since they’d just gone through a full care treatment, and they prepared for bed, sleeping in their bikinis as would be Rhea’s norm for quite a while. Nova and Mya had been a lot more chatty with one another since they left the spa, but Rhea’s mind and body felt like butter after the relaxing experience, swiftly drifting off to sleep.
* — * — *
Nova released a low moan, watching the other Trainer’s Pokémon chirp their pleasure at the phenomenal care they’d received, and the sleek glow that enhanced Amber’s already shiny fur made her jealous.
It wasn’t like resting in her pokéball was terrible; it was exceptionally comfortable, and she didn’t even have to walk, Rhea doing all that work, but it bugged her. When she first connected with Rhea, she was strong, and the energy within her deep, but much of that had changed since Mya’s battle.
Rhea’s body hurt, her mind was dulled, and the strength Nova felt from her had diminished significantly. She could sense her Trainer’s experience when Mya sapped the majority of her Fortitude, and the strain she was under, which made her even angrier and confused as to how the Mawile didn’t know what she was doing.
She glared at the ethereal figure that was also linked with her Trainer; there wasn’t exactly a direction, but the emotions were transmitted nonetheless. “You really didn’t know what you were doing?”
Mya released a very long sigh, remorseful voice reaching her through Rhea. “No… all I felt was excitement. I wanted to prove that Rhea and I were stronger than any of those Pokémon. We are… I just… I don’t know.”
“If you don’t know, then you can’t fix it,” Nova snapped.
“I know… Rhea said; we’re figuring it out. Her mom said it was because I was too focused… how do I unfocus?”
“You need to figure it out. Rhea’s hurt, we’re useless to her right now, and all you can say is I don’t know? I can tell exactly how much energy Rhea has and when it might get too much for her. Why can’t you?”
“No, I can… I just can’t when fighting.”
“That makes no sense.”
“I know. I’m sorry… I didn’t want to make us lose so much time with her. I just wanted to fight.”
“Now we can’t for days… if you really want to fight, then learn how much you can use, and start using your own energy instead of Rhea’s.”
“It’s so small, though,” Mya mumbled.
“Of course it is, which is why we gotta use it to make it grow,” Nova grumbled, rolling her eyes while watching the world through Rhea’s eyes. They were getting ready to leave for a hotel so Rhea could rest. “Jade wants to pet me, and I can’t even feel anyone stroke my fur because you had to go too far… whatever. Just don’t do it again.”
“What do you think about that energy block that doctor guy talked about?”
Nova released a low growl. “She wouldn’t need to use something like that if you knew how much energy Rhea had left. If you do something like that again… we might have to leave Rhea. I don’t want that.”
“I don’t either!”
“Good. Don’t do it, then,” Nova huffed. “Do you think Amber and Gables will be able to protect Rhea?”
“We should be…” Mya whispered in a sad tone.
“That’s not what I asked…”
“I mean, Amber’s not that weak, but… I don’t know how strong wild Pokémon are.”
“At least Rhea’s feeling better.”
“Yeah.” Mya’s low mumbles barely reached her. “Nova…”
“Hmm?”
“I’m really sorry. I didn’t want to punish you.”
“It doesn’t matter now. We just need to do better. We were born to help Rhea… not kill her. To be honest… I’m a little scared, Mya.”
“Of me?”
“No… me.”
“…” Mya’s confusion transferred through their shared connection. “Why?”
“What if I’m like that, too? What if I can’t tell Rhea’s energy levels when I’m battling… what if I kill her?” She whimpered.
“I don’t think you will.”
“What if I do?”
“You won’t.”
“You can’t be sure.”
They fell silent, pondering the possibilities ahead of them.
Nova watched Rhea laugh with Lori, Amira being somewhat quiet on their way to the hotel. “It takes a lot of energy for me to change forms… should I even try? I don’t know how hard it’ll be on Rhea. I’m not good at it either… I need to practice, but that could hurt her.”
“Rhea’s not worried about you, though,” Mya mumbled. “I’m the one she’s worried about.”
“Maybe she should be more worried about me,” Nova returned. “Maybe I’m the one that could really harm her.”
“Let’s try not to…”
“Yeah…”
They tried to distract themselves from the troubles clouding their thoughts by living through Rhea’s joy.
Rhea still loves us… even when we hurt her. I need to do more, but… I can’t right now. I could try to increase my energy from within the pokéball, but no… that might hurt Rhea still. We’re just so useless…
Rhea soon fell asleep, and after a bit, Nova did, too, mind still worrying about the future.
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